Sweet B
by chambook0
Summary: Jasper's best friend Emmett has a new little sister. She's a sweet kid, but what happened to necessitate her being adopted? And why is she so unwilling to talk of her past? AH.
1. Chapter 1

'**Ello gov'na:**

**This here's my new story, "Sweet B." I hope you guys like it.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**JPOV**

Six weeks.

That's how long ago Emmett told me that he and his old man, Charlie, were leavin' to pick up his new baby sis.

Why he called her his "baby sis" I personally just don't get. The girl's seventeen, for fuck's sakes! That's only a year younger than Emmett and me.

Anyway…it was six long ass weeks ago that Em and the Chief left our tiny town of Forks, Washington for Las Vegas, Nevada to pick her up.

Isabella Swan.

Or at least, that's her name _now. _Emmett had called to fill me in on a few things. One of them bein' the whole last name thing.

Apparently, when Isabella was asked if she would like to keep her original last name, she had said no. To say this shocked Charlie would be an understatement. Because before this whole adoption necessity had arisen, Isabella had lived with her older brother, Travis. He was Lieutenant General of the United States Army. He had been a well-respected man, and a very good friend of Charlie's, despite his only bein' 26.

But he died three months ago.

The only reason I knew anythin' was because I had managed to weasel it outta Emmett. And because Charlie is capable of seein' through _any_ attempt at gainin' information, made by _anyone_, it ain't much. Guess it's the cop in him or somethin.'

Besides, Emmett completely sucks at anythin' involvin' bein' sneaky and/or crafty in any way, shape, or form.

And it's because of that fact that I was thrown for a fuckin' loop; because Emmett somehow managed to find out an interestin' detail.

Travis was gay.

And he had a partner.

Who, for some yet to be discovered reason, wouldn't take Isabella in.

Except, what with the way it was said, it was almost as if he wasn't allowed to.

So what the fuck happened?

**. . . **

"Jasper! Emmett! Get down here NOW!"

Em and I had been playin' video games in my room for the last hour. He and his dad had traveled back separately, so we had just been awaitin' Isabella's arrival.

We moseyed on down (yeah, I'm a Southern gent'. Deal with it), and were met with a miffed Esme.

This ain't gonna be good.

Her gaze flitted between us. I guess she wanted to be sure we were payin' attention.

Now, allow me to explain a couple of things. For starters, Esme (along with her husband, Dr. Carlisle Cullen) are my and my sister's adoptive parents. My twin sister, Rosalie, is datin' Emmett, my best friend.

The Cullens have two other kids as well, Edward and Alice, whom are datin.' I think the story goes that they adopted Alice too (before Rose and I were adopted, mind ya), and that Edward is their only biological child.

Rose and I share the same blond hair, although mine holds honey tones to it (or so Alice keeps tellin' me; as though I actually gave a shit), and we both have blue eyes. Hers are the sharp, ice blue of our father's, and mine are the dark navy of our momma's. We had been born and raised in Texas, but Rose's accent had long since died; while I had been hell bent on holdin' onto mine.

Emmett is a big, burly guy. Dark eyes, curly hair, brown eyes, and an easy grin. But never let that grin fool you, he's good to have on your side in a fight, and fight he will. He's crazy ass protective of his friends and family.

Alice is very petite and pixie-like. She has dark, spiky hair; darker than Emmett's (closer to black really), and hazel eyes that are never easy. Whether they're sparklin' in excitement or mischief, jus' be sure to watch out.

Edward, however, is softer-spoken. Green eyes and messy, bronze hair. He's a bit shorter than me, but taller than Rose.

And then we have Carlisle and Esme. Esme with her caramel curls, and soft, hazel eyes. She's about Rose's height, give or take.

Carlisle's the opposite. Sleek, blond hair, roughly 'round my and Emmett's height, and sharp blue eyes. He is one of the kindest men I know; him and Charlie. They have both earned my highest respect.

Esme's throat clearin' brought me outta my musin's.

I turned my attention back to my momma of sorts, an' looked at her expectantly, patiently waitin' for it to start.

_Dear Lord, may she _not _castrate me. Amen._

"Now you boys listen, and listen good," she began in a menacing tone. "If I so much as even suspect that you've given that poor girl a hard time, I will bitch slap you so hard that your heads will have to be paraded around on sticks! Am I clear?"

I felt my eyes widen to the size of saucers, an' Emmett visibly gulped. We both nodded mutely.

Esme smiled sweetly at us, an' with a peck on the cheek, she said (as if she hadn't just threatened our lives), "Good. Now you boys have fun."

And with that, she disappeared upstairs.

Emmett stared dumbfounded after her.

"Be afraid, be very afraid," I whispered ominously.

I smirked wickedly at his glare, and shoved him toward the door.

"C'mon ya coward. I wanna meet'cha new sis."

He scowled at me.

"Fucker," he muttered.

I snickered all the way to the Swan house.

**I know it's short, but I thought it'd make a decent start.**

**Review and lemme know what'cha think.**

**Until next time, my darlings. **


	2. Chapter 2

'**Ello gov'na:**

**Sorry for the delay, but new story an' all, it's takin' me a bit to get the words out. **

**My explanation for my delay is written in A/N I have on chapter 9 of REDO, and I'm too lazy to retype it.**

**Although, one problem behind my delay was the constant introduction of new stories. **

**It's like the plots are floating around inside my head; like li'l ghosts, each with its own voice. And they're all screaming: **_**"Look at me! No! Look at me!" **_

**And then the li'l fuckers laugh maniacally at me!**

**And yes, I am fuckin' insane. Get over it, cuz all writers are.**

**Disclaimer: The only thing here belonging to me is Riley…& the plot. **

**JPOV**

Walkin' into the Swan house, we found Rose, Alice, an' Edward scattered around the livin' room; Alice had the remote in her hand, and was flippin' channels.

"Hey," they all said intermitted, not even sparin' us a glance.

Em threw me a questionin' look, but I shrugged, much to his disappointment.

"Um…not that I'm not glad to see you guys, but…why the hell are you in my house?" Emmett asked.

"We wanted to meet Isabella," Edward answered absentmindedly.

"Bella," I corrected.

That seemed to bring 'em outta their li'l stupor.

"Huh?" Alice chirruped, lookin' at me.

"She prefers Bella," I reiterated.

"Oh, and Edward? You may regret wanting to meet her right off the bat. Come to think of it, you too Jazz."

Edward raised his eyebrow, an' we both looked at Emmett in confusion.

"Why?" we asked in unison.

"Her dog's coming too," was all he said.

Now my eyebrow rose up.

"So? Who cares if she has a dog?"

"Uh," Emmett chuckled, "if you have a Y chromosome, then you will."

Well that made 'bout as much sense as anythin' else that ever comes spillin' outta the guy's mouth.

"Come again?"

Emmett turned to Edward. "B's dog hates all things male. Or so she says," he tacked on.

Alice bein' Alice, she's gonna get her two cents in.

"How come?"

Emmett shrugged. "Dunno. That was all the explanation she offered when the mutt growled at me."

"Well what'd you do?" Rose asked.

"Nothing! Bella and I had exchanged names, and I went to hug her, and then her dog jackknifed to attention and snarled at me."

"Well then there's your answer," she stated in that tone that says _'wow, you're a dumbass.'_

I snickered an' said, "Only you, Rose."

She flashed me a grin an' gave a li'l wink. Whenever one of us did that, people just _could not_ shut up 'bout how much that one tiny gesture made us look _so_ much alike. It gets pretty irritatin,' lemme tell ya.

Emmett glared at me; which _really_ didn't help me with stiflin' my laughter, but I managed. Barely.

He gave me the bird, and stalked into the kitchen, mutterin' under his breath.

Even though he was all of ten feet away, and more than capable of hearin' us, we all burst out laughin.' We couldn't help it. Emmett was just like that; whether he'd made the joke, or it was on him.

"Fuck off!" he called out, settin' off another round of laughter.

"What Emmett do this time?"

In our moment of hilarity, we had failed to hear the Chief's car pull up, or notice the door openin.' I turned around to see Charlie standin' in the doorway with a raised eyebrow, an' a slight smirk on his face.

Rose snickered before sayin', "Hey Charlie. Em was just telling us about Bella…and her dog."

Understanding dawned on our police chief's face.

"Ah yes, the 'furred devil' as he's been referred to as. You boys had better watch out. The only reason he hasn't made me an entrée, _I _think, is because I've had my uniform on this whole time," he chuckled, gesturin' to his standardized 'Police' jacket.

A dog's bark could be heard close to the open door, followed by a soft chuckle.

_Bella?_

"Hey Emmett, go help your sister," Charlie ordered, jerkin' his thumb toward the door.

"What's there to help with? The girl's got _one_ bag!" Emmett retorted, sounding much like a petulant child. "Besides, there is _no way in hell_ I am going _anywhere_ near that furry devil she has for a dog."

"Keep talking like that and your testes will be Riley's new chew toys," a sultry voice chimed.

I turned my attention toward the doorway's new occupant, and I could've sworn I felt my heart stop.

A dark-haired beauty stood in the entry way. She was slender in figure, an' had well-defined curves in all the right places. The black fabric of her tank top stood out against her skin's pallor. Her long legs were clad in a pair of distressed denim jeans, and she wore no shoes.

At her side stood a Great Dane. I absently noted he was gray, came up to the girl's waist, an' he was glarin' at us. Can dogs even glare?

I shook that thought off as I took in the rest of her. The slim fingers on her tiny hand were curled around the strap to the rucksack she had slung over her shoulder. Her sweet lips were distorted into a sinful smirk, an' her doe eyes sparkled with mischief.

It was then that I noticed the scar that adorned her lovely face. The scar that she carried as a reminder of the car accident that took her brother from her.

It ran from the top, left side of her forehead, lightly tracing over the far corner of her left eye, down her cheek, ending about an inch away from the corner of her mouth. Where it crossed over her eye, there was a li'l dark triangle from where the blood vessel had broken. It wasn't close enough to the iris to interfere with her sight, but it was fairly noticeable.

_Sweet baby Jesus._

**Sorry it's so short, but I couldn't think of much else to add, and I didn't wanna piss all y'all off by takin' any longer. **

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	3. Chapter 3

**BPOV**

_Maybe it's time to change  
And leave it all behind  
I've never been one to walk alone  
I've always been scared to try  
_

_So why does it feel so wrong  
To reach for something more  
To wanna live a better life  
What am I waiting for?  
_

_'Cause nothing stays the same  
Maybe it's time to change_

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned my attention away from the plane's window to look at Charlie. He was motioning for me to take my headphones off.

"We're getting close. Pilot says we should be landing in about thirty minutes," he told me.

I nodded, turning off Sick Puppies, and tucking my iPod and headphones into my rucksack. We were close.

_So close…but still so far._

I couldn't help the soft sigh that slipped past my lips. Over the past month and a half of meeting and greeting with Charlie and Emmett, his son, I'd been trying to keep my more…_depressing_ thoughts at bay.

_Depressing? Please. More like soul-sucking._ I mentally snorted.

It couldn't be helped. At least, not really. I mean c'mon! My brother/ legal guardian fucking _died_ for me.

I had the scar to prove it.

There was no way I should have survived. The force of the impact should have sent the glass (or whatever the hell I'd hit my head on) through my eye, and into my brain, effectively ending my seventeen-year-old life.

But it hadn't.

The crash had taken Travis's instead.

The sound of shuffling feet snapped me out of it. Charlie had unbuckled his seatbelt, and was now reaching into the overhead bin to grab his duffel bag. I followed suit, slinging my bag over my shoulder, and following Charlie out of the plane.

Charlie stopped at a payphone (to call Emmett, I presume) while I trudged over to luggage claim to collect Riley, my Great Dane. He reached to about my waist, and had a soft gray coat. He hated men, except for Travis. But with him gone, he had to readjust to the male presence all over again. He tolerated Charlie, maybe even liked him a little, but Emmett…well, let's just say that Em's testes had become an endangered species. But Riley was just looking out for me, the way he always had.

I quickly led Riley out of the airport; I didn't like it in there, the place made me uneasy and on edge.

And then there's the whole seeing-some-random-stranger-giving-me-the-stink-eye-every-time-I-turned-around thing. I swear to Christ, I am _thisclose_ to fucking snapping!

_Yes! I'm not wearing shoes, and my dog isn't on a leash! So fucking what? I hate shoes, and he hates the damn leash. So why don'tcha mind your own damn business, and get on with your fucking life!_

Yep, that's pretty much what me snapping would sound like.

I sighed and pulled out the old tennis ball I kept in my bag. The odds were that those people hadn't even noticed my bare feet, or my leash-less dog. They were all too busy staring at me face.

At my scar.

Riley whined and head-butted my thigh. I gave a slight smile, and lightly tossed the ball out a couple of yards. I couldn't really throw it, what with being in a crowded airport parking lot and all. Riley trotted over the short distance and retrieved the ball. He handed it over without a fight. I bounced it up and down against the black tar. Once. Twice. Three times. Then I threw it up in the air and caught it. Once. Twice. Three times. Four times. Five times. Six times. I continued to play catch with myself. In the beginning, the bitch I got to call my social worker tried to get me to talk to any number of shrinks. Pfft. Those quacks were the ones in need of therapy. One even spent the whole session crying over her cat that her ex-boyfriend had taken with him when they'd called it quits. It got so bad that an officer had to come in and escort her out. But that's Vegas for ya.

"Ready to go, Bells?"

I turned to find Charlie watching me. Unlike every other adult, Charlie didn't treat me like I was a cornered animal. Back in Vegas, everyone had been on their toes around me, like they were waiting for me to do something. What, I don't know. But it always seemed to revert back to embarrassment. Like when one of them caught me playing catch by myself, with no one around watching but Riley. They actually _expected_ me to blush. For what? Because you saw me toss a ball in the air? Big whoop.

They had actually told me this. My social worker had said, and I quote: _'"It's perfectly natural to blush. It's also natural to be embarrassed when a person is watching you. No one is expecting you to play the hero. You can show your feelings around us."'_

What. The. Fuck.

I was not embarrassed at all. Nor was I "playing the hero", and bottling up my emotions. I'm just not an open book. I'm not the diva, I'm not the eccentric and egotistical prat that exaggerates everything, and I'm not the average martyr.

Which made it one _hell_ of a relief that Charlie doesn't stare at me, expecting a breakdown.

And with that in mind, I smiled and answered, "Sure Charlie."

He returned it with a grin of his own, and we strolled over to the cruiser.

Charlie's the Chief of Police in Forks. This fact had relieved me some when I was first getting to know him and Emmett. Emmett's attempt at hugging me, on the other hand…well, Riley got between us before he could touch me. It's not like I have anything against him, but I had only just put a face to the name, and he wanted to hug me. I'm not a touchy feely kind of person. I like my personal space, always have.

Plus, Emmett being the big, burly dude that he is, sent off some warning bells in my head. As I said, it's not his fault. I'm just oddly wired.

Riley hopped in the back, Charlie slid behind the wheel, and I rode shotgun.

_Riding shotgun! Best fucking expression on the face of the earth. Right up there with cussin' like a sailor._

The hour long drive went by rather quickly. I loved long car rides. Travis and I would go driving all the time, and sometimes Jamie went too. ("Jamie" was my nickname for James, Travis's partner). Despite our living in Vegas, they couldn't legally marry. But that never mattered; marriage was seen as an institution, and nothing more.

They had still referred to themselves as being one another's partner though. Effectively avoiding the implications brought upon by words such as "boyfriend" or "husband".

The cruiser lurched as the front tires bumped up onto the brick driveway, followed by the back tires.

_Well that's one way of snapping back to reality._

Riley snorted in annoyance; I couldn't help my snickering that followed. Charlie casted me a sideways glance, but quickly looked away with an eye roll as he got out of the car.

_Yeah, _I'm_ the crazy one._

Charlie walked up to the house and unlocked the door. Riley was getting restless, so I exited the car, and let him out.

Charlie stood just inside the doorway. Apparently Emmett had his friends over, and Charlie was backing up Emmett's warning to be wary of Riley.

"The only reason he hasn't made me an entrée, _I _think, is because I've had my uniform on this whole time," Charlie chuckled.

Riley gave a short bark of annoyance, and, once again, I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me.

"Emmett! Go help your sister." I heard Charlie snap. I already had my rucksack over my shoulder, but I listened and silently laughed as Emmett whined about my having one bag, and therefore not needing any help. (Not that I'd have needed it regardless). However, when he started in on Riley again, I decided it was time I said hello.

"Keep talking like that, and your testicles will become Riley's new chew toys," I called, sauntering into the house; Riley on my heels.

I stood in the entry way and smirked at my audience. Charlie stood off to my right, and Emmett stood slightly farther back. A girl with long blond hair was curled up in the recliner, and on the couch, a bronze-haired boy sat with his arm slung over the shoulders of a petite girl. She had short black hair, and a remote sat loosely in her hand; the TV forgotten.

Riley stood at my left, and as he shifted his weight slightly, I turned and was captured by a pair of deep, dark blue eyes.

_Jesus Christ._

His skin held a light tan. His honey blond hair fell in tousled curls over his forehead, offsetting his eyes beautifully. His were the kind of eyes that a girl lost herself in.

As my gaze wandered down his body, I saw that he wore a pair of dark-washed jeans; they were distressed a lot like my mine. Not fake and store-made, but naturally, like they'd been worn a lot.

His shirt was grey, long-sleeved, and had the ACDC logo on it. _Niiice._ It clung to his well-defined torso like a second skin, leaving nothing to the imagination.

_Am I drooling?_

Apparently not, because, amazingly, I'd managed to keep my smirk in place. However, as the Cowboy (I had just noticed his boots) noticed I was thoroughly eye-fucking him, he returned my smirk with a sexy one of his own.

_Hawt dayum._

**A/N:**

**So very sorry for the delay. These chapters are gettin' harder and harder to write. Although, I must say, if you're waiting on chapter 10 for REDO, that one's a REAL bugger. But I'll get on its ass ASAP. Swears.**

**Drop me a line, tell me what'cha think.**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Emmett's POV**

What was that son of a bitch doing?

I had half a mind to saw Jazz's dick off and roast it for dinner. There he was, blatantly eye-fucking my new baby sis. At the _very_ least, I wanted to rip that motherfucking smirk off of his face.

I glanced over at Rose, and saw a smile on her face. She caught my eye and I gave her the _what the fuck?_ look. She shrugged and shook her head.

_O-k then. Guess the E-man's on his own._

Just as I was taking a step toward B, the devil dog's attention turned to me, and (once again) he started growling at me.

On the plus side, B stopped looking at Jasper and turned to her collared demon.

"Riley." It was all she said, and she said it quietly too, but for whatever reason, he sat back on his haunches and shut up.

She turned to me with an apologetic look on her face. I waved her off. We'd been through this song and dance before, and it was rather obvious that _Riley_ and I were not gonna end up best buddies.

I turned toward Ed and the ladies (while keeping an eye on Jazz through my periphery) and grinned.

"See? What I tell ya?"

But him being that total douche that he is, grinned smugly, and replied, "Oh? So you're _proud_ of almost losing your balls to a pissed off dog?"

Bella was the first to laugh.

"We," she snorted out between giggles, "are gonna get along just fine." She gestured between Edward and herself.

_Was it just me, or did I see a scowl on the Jazz man's face? Hmm…_

Edward gave her his signature crooked grin. (And no, just because I know that, does _not_ mean that I roll _that_ way).

Edward stood up, and strode toward Bella, still grinning. But when he was standing about two feet away from her, he stopped, sat down, and held his hand out toward the demon dog. Riley looked at him skeptically, but approached him none the less. He sniffed Eddie's outstretched hand, and when Edward went to pet him, he let him! He just sat down and let him pet him! What the fuck!

"I'm Edward," he addressed B, but he kept petting the mutt. "The black-haired pixie is my girlfriend, Alice, the blond girl in the recliner is Rosalie, and her twin, Jasper, is standing about two feet to your left."

B crossed her arms, and looked down at Eddie with a mix of surprise and amusement. "You are the first boy to have ever approached Riley like that. Normally, I have to run interference when some idiot gets it into his head to go all Darwin on him." She glared pointedly at me.

"Jesus." I looked skyward. "Are you ever gonna _not_ bring that up?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. Then she shook her head and shrugged. "Nah."

"Gee, thanks a ton, sis."

"Anytime, bro."

Despite the fact that I had started it, I was still a tad surprised when I heard her call me bro. not that I didn't want her to. I wanted her to feel welcome, and think of me as family. But after everything that had gone on for her, and how she'd behaved towards people in general (that I've seen) I had assumed it would be awhile before we got to the sibling banter.

Another thing I noticed was that she referred to Edward as a "boy." Now, normally, anyone of us put in that situation, would have done or said some stupid thing to show that we were, in fact, men. And not boys.

But Edward didn't do that. He barely even seemed to notice that'd she'd used the word. I guess it had something to do with her tone of voice when she said it. It hadn't been condescending at all. Simply a matter-of-fact.

Surprise, surprise, Alice decided to join in the conversation.

"Hi Bella! I'm Alice!" she chirped, bouncing up to B, who smiled and nodded at Alice, but didn't offer a hand to shake, or anything like that.

When everybody had first heard about Bella, I had given them a little heads-up about the whole sans-contact thing. Alice had pouted for about five minutes, before Edward had hauled her up to their room.

_Insert eyebrow waggle here._

Bella raised her eyebrow ever so slightly at me. Not enough to tip anybody else off, but after spending six weeks getting to know her, I knew what she was referring to.

_I warned ya sis. That pixie's happy and hyper. And it gets pretty fucking scary when you think about it._

Rose walked over to her next and offered a smile. They exchanged a few words that I couldn't hear, but the altercation ended with them fist bumping each other. Alice's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her skull. And seeing as that Jazz was trying to hold back his laugh, I'd say he agreed with me.

Speaking of that dickhead, he walked _(sauntered)_ up to Bella and grinned at her. She smirked back. Again, I couldn't hear what they sad to one another, but, _once again_, it ended with him taking her hand and lightly brushing his lips over her knuckles.

Alice…well…if looks could really kill, we'd all be grease spots.

I'd tried to explain to Ali that B was pretty laid back (for the most part). And that she probably wasn't gonna respond too well to her and all her hyperactivity.

But did she listen? Nope.

I turned my attention back to Bella and Jasper. I couldn't really understand her expression. She didn't smack Jazz when he kissed her hand, and Riley didn't even bark. Not that I wanted that to happen, of course.

Ok. Maybe I wanted it to happen _a little_.

But still, I couldn't get a read on her. But then again, I'd never been very good at that type of thing. And besides, B was a bit of a special case. She knew when she needed a poker face. And she also knew how to make her poker face _not _look like a poker face.

Yeah, doesn't make a lick of sense to me either.

But Bella seemed comfortable. She must be, if Riley was trying to snack on the Jazz man's face.

**RPOV**

Oh…this is just _too _good.

Jasper having a crush on the new girl, and her being Emmett's new sister on top of that.

This could be interesting.

When Bella first arrived, she seemed nice enough. I could tell she'd be a good sister for Emmett. She'd have his back, but she wasn't about to put up with any of his bull shit either.

And then the introductions. I have to admit, it was rather smart of Edward to placate her guard dog first. I'm also not surprised that he was the first to think of it. Despite the fact that yes, Edward is a guy, he's also totally whipped. And thanks to that, Alice has managed to give him _some_ brains.

I could tell Alice _really_ wanted to hug Bella. I could also tell that she wanted to kill me when I got a fist bump out of her. It's not my fault we hit it off.

I had walked up to her, offering a smile. She smiled back.

"So," I whispered, so the others wouldn't hear, "just _what _are we gonna do about these guys?"

Her smile morphed into a mischievous grin. "My brother taught me a few tricks. Shouldn't be too hard."

It had ended with us both snickering quietly and pounding fists.

Emmett looked bemused, Edward was still paying attention to Riley, who was still keeping an eye on Bella, as was Jasper, but with _completely_ different motivations, and Alice looked ready to tackle us both.

It was funny.

Then, without missing a beat, Jazz strolled on over to Miss Bella, cocky grin in place, murmured something to her, and kissed her hand.

I _thought_ I had noticed something when she had first arrived.

I had no doubt that Jasper would be good for her. From what Emmett had been able to tell us, she had gone through a lot of shit this past year. And not just her brother either. But that was merely a hinting he'd gotten from Charlie. Nothing specific, nothing concrete.

I couldn't help but wonder though. She'd just lost her brother, and she obviously lost her parents, seeing as that he was her guardian and all. Her brother's partner had gone all MIA on our asses. Riley was very protective of her, so I couldn't help but get the impression that there's more than she was letting on.

I hoped that she'd give Jazz a chance though. He's a good guy that knew when to be a gentleman. He obviously liked her, and I'd no doubt that he'd take care of her. He took care of me when we were little.

Emmett had better not be an ass about it. I didn't care if Bella was his sister; Jasper was his best friend, practically his brother.

_Maybe the nimrods will finally decide to grow a pair instead of going all Darwin on each other._

I smirked, Bella had gotten it flawlessly.

**Endless apologies for the wait. Chapter 10 to REDO is up as well. Also, I have a new poll up on my profile, concerning a new fanfic that I'm considering. Check it out and vote!**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	5. Chapter 5

**BPOV**

I swear to Christ, I see Alice pout _one more time_; I will fucking set her big ass closet on fire!

After the initial introductions, Alice had tried to initiate some form of physical contact between us. A hug, a kiss on the cheek, holding hands, etc. I'm bi, and I was raised by my gay brother and his partner and all, but come on! For fuck's sakes! What are we, five? Or is it more of the _forty-five-New-Jersey-housewives-acting-as-if-they're-twenty-five_ type of deal?

Riley dutifully stayed by my side at all times; growling at her whenever she became a tad…_overzealous_.

Rose (_thank God!)_ eventually came to my rescue. She offered to show me to my new room, while Edward distracted Alice. Just as Rose pulled me out of the living room and up the stairs, Edward caught my eye, and winked at me.

I smiled to myself. I knew we'd get along.

The room Rose led me to was bigger than I was used to. Hell, I wasn't even used to a small room. Back in Nevada, it was a total desert. So, when it was a nice night, I'd stretch out on a hammock; and when the weather sucked, I'd crash on the couch.

Tray _(my nickname for Travis)_ and Jamie thought I was being stupid. But it's not like I was alone; Riley went where I did, and still does. And besides, our price range typically consisted of single bed houses, and I always insisted on Tray and Jamie taking the bedroom. The last thing I needed (or wanted for that matter) was to walk over to the bathroom in the middle of the night, only to see them going at it on the couch.

And by "price range," I mean the on-base apartments provided to military personnel and their families.

"So what do you think?" Rose asked.

I snapped out of my reverie, and moved my focus from the room's size, to what it actually held.

A desk and chair, a door that lead to (I'm assuming) a closet, a window on the opposite wall, and a single bed with a blue and green tie-dye quilt.

"I like it," I answered automatically. And I realized it was true. "It's certainly more than I'm accustomed to, but I like it."

She tilted her head slightly and smiled at me. "Yeah…Em told me a little about that. Alice nearly had a heart attack at some of the things he shared." We both chuckled.

"And how about when I arrived with just my rucksack?" I dangled the bag in question between us.

She smiled gently. "Yeah…I was wondering about that actually."

I dumped my bag on the bed and shrugged. "We never had much money; tray's time in the military was so he could go to school, and then eventually put me through school."

"What about…you know…Travis's partner?" Rose hesitantly asked.

I grimaced. "Jamie…Jamie was in the military too. The Marines. And…about a year and a half ago, he was in an accident, and it left him deaf. He was also left bound to a wheelchair. He had only just finished up speech therapy and physical therapy when Travis died."

Rose appeared taken aback when I said Tray's name and the word "died" without stumbling.

"That's why I was put up for adoption, "I continued. "From the time I was young, I've worked any number of jobs to help buy groceries and pay the bills. I also did all the cooking and cleaning on top of that, and my schoolwork. And, because both Jamie and Tray were in the military (they were my sole caretakers), I was left alone a lot. And now, due to his accident, Jamie would have been at least _somewhat_ dependent on me. Therefore, my home was deemed "unlivable." I wasn't bad enough that I lost Travis, no, they had to take away Jamie, my home, and my life on top of it."

I knew that, eventually, someone was going to ask me why I wasn't living with my brother-in-law. So, I figured I'd just get it over with.

"I have an aunt and uncle in Rochester, New York," Rosalie said softly. "My aunt Teresa was my dad's half-sister. Anyway, when I was sixteen, she and my uncle Gary convinced my parents to let me live with them for the summer."

She paused, and I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. I immediately grasped her hand and turned her towards the bed, so she could sit down. She smiled gratefully, and turned her eyes back to the floor.

"My Southern accent had never been very strong, and that summer, it died altogether. I also got to know Uncle Gary. He and Teresa had never been very close to my parents. He was very nice and attentive…_too_ attentive." She fell silent again, and I felt a pit open up in my stomach. I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say, but I left her to tell me at her own pace.

"He raped me," she whispered. "He took me out to a late show, and on the way back to their apartment, he dragged me to an alley, and…_he raped me_."

Her breathing was ragged and shallow. Her eyes were wet and slightly glazed over, and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Keeping hold of her hand, I threw my other arm around her shoulders, and hugged her close to me. She curled into me and whimpered. An occasional sob could be heard, but she had her…_freak out_…quietly. I rubbed her shoulders, and cooed softly to her, hoping to calm her down.

It didn't take her long. Within ten minutes, she was sitting up, drying her eyes, and continuing her story.

"That had been my last night in New York. The next morning, we flew out for Texas. Jasper and my dad were at home, working on some house project or something, so it was just my mom there to greet us. She could tell I was upset, but she didn't know why. But she invited Gary and Teresa back to the house.

"Jasper knew the second he saw me. He was livid. Normally, even when he's angry, he keeps calm. Obviously pissed off, but calm. He wasn't pissed off though, and he wasn't calm. The look on his face…it was outright _rage_. I had _never_ seen him like that. He attacked Gary right then and there. Now Jazz has always been a gentleman, so when he tackled Gary to the ground and started punching him, my parents connected the dots. Jasper…I had never loved or feared my brother more than in that moment."

She shook her head, and smiled slightly. I had only seen a smirk on Jasper's face, but his eyes just…_shone_ with intensity. And it was entirely unique to him.

"Once Gary got past his shock of Jasper's attack, he started fighting back. And he fought dirty. He had a bunch of rings on his fingers, and Jasper was only wearing old jeans, and a black wife-beater. The rings cut into his arms, his neck, his chest, his stomach, and his face. They didn't deter him, not in the least. He was running on rage and adrenaline."

"A deadly combination," I interjected.

She grinned at me. "Exactly. Anyway, at some point, Gary managed to pull his switchblade out, and he started cutting Jasper up. I was terrified for him. Not even Gary raping me had frightened me as much. The gashes focused mainly on his arms, chest, and stomach. There was a blood everywhere. But at some point, Jasper managed to rip Gary's knife from him and tossed it away.

"At that point, my dad pulled Jasper off of Gary, and my mom ordered Jasper and I into the house. It was obvious that Jazz wanted to pound Gary into a grease spot, but he let me lead him into the house, and into the bathroom, so I could see to his cuts.

"He was covered in blood; the gashes were pretty deep. And thinking back to how they had come about, I started to shake. Jasper noticed this, and pulled me into a hug. He had always taken on the role of the protective older brother, despite us being twins."

She paused again. Her face was pained, but it was with a sense of pity and sympathy.

"That was when it happened. We heard screaming, a gunshot, more screaming, and then silence. We sprinted for the front door. Outside, we found our mother, crying and screaming, kneeling by our father. He was lying, silent and still, in a pool of his own blood. It appeared that Gary had somehow gotten his hands on another knife, and had cut my dad. Gary himself also lay in a pool of his own blood. You could see the bullet wound in his forehead, right between his eyes. And Teresa…she stood, tears streaming down her cheeks, with a gun clenched in her hand, still aimed at her fallen husband.

"When she heard the door open, she turned to me with the most pained expression I had ever seen. She said something to me. It was so soft, I couldn't hear her, but I could read her lips. "_I'm sorry"_ she said. And then, before anyone could stop her, she raised the gun to the underside of her chin, and pulled the trigger.

"Judging from…from the _agony_ and _hopelessness_ on her face, I'd say she had known all along, and that it had been going on for some time. I guess I was just her breaking point.

"My dad died that day. And Jasper and I lost our mother roughly a year later. Drunk driver mowed her down."

She turned away and gazed out the window. I knew how she felt. Travis hadn't just been my brother. He'd been a father, mother, and my hero.

When Rose looked back at me, her expression was clear, her smile tranquil. Her eyes sparkled with mirth.

"And that's how we ended up with the Cullens…and how I came to meet Emmett," she tacked on.

"Does he know?" she knew what I meant.

She grimaced, but nodded. "He does. Both he and Jazz are really protective of me, sometimes ridiculously so," she chuckled quietly.

"Meeting Emmett…really helped me move on with my life. And, in some ways, I don't completely hate what happened. I hate that my parents are gone, I hate that Jazz got hurt, and I hate what happened to me. But I don't hate the Cullens, and I don't regret meeting Emmett."

Then a thought hit me. "Uh…speaking of regret, will Jasper be angry that I know about this? About his scars?"

She smiled smugly at me. "Oh…you're worried about _Jasper_ hmm?"

I shrugged. "I have my own share of scars; I know what it's like. I also know that not everybody likes people knowing about them, and/or seeing them."

She visibly blanched, and I couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped me at her expression.

"So…um, you said James is deaf?" she asked, changing the subject.

I nodded.

"Do you know sign language?"

I smirked. "I was learning at the same time Jamie was. I don't know much, but I do know a little bit. Well…that I remember." She laughed at that.

"Hey, so if you and Jazz are twins, how come you go by Hale, and he goes by Whitlock?" My turn to change the subject.

"Whitlock's our mom's maiden name. And Jasper prefers that to Hale; he's legal, so no one could really do anything about it. How did you know about that?"

And then realization dawned on her.

"Emmett," We said simultaneously.

_Knock knock._

"Come in," I called.

The door opened to reveal Jasper standing there.

**JPOV**

I walked upstairs to see Riley lyin' down in front of Bella's slightly ajar, bedroom door. I could hear the girls laughin' inside. When it became obvious to him that I was headed for Bella's room, he snorted. I guess he was tryin' to warn me off without snarlin' at me. Whether that was because he didn't want to scare Bella, or because he doesn't hate me, I don't know.

I deliberated, until I decided to take a page out of Edward's book. I sat down cross- legged in front of him, and held my hand out for him to sniff. His expression (if dogs can even _have_ expressions) was queer. It's almost as if he was thinkin' _Are you for real?_ But, after a brief moment, he leaned forward and sniffed. I waited patiently, keepin' fairly still, so as not to startle him. And then, he did the damndest thing; he placed his head on me, so I could scratch him behind his ear. I did.

I sat there for I don't know how long, just petting Riley, and listenin' to Rose tell Bella about our past with our _dear_ aunt and uncle (insert sarcasm here), and our parents' death. In all honesty, Bella amazed me. She was silent through the majority of my sister's story, and even though I couldn't see 'em, I knew Rose, Bella's response was _exactly _what she needed. And I'm not gonna lie, the comments that Bella made were pretty fuckin' amusin'.

I knew eavesdroppin' was wrong, but c'mon! I wasn't _plannin' _on listenin' in. That's just how it worked out. When the conversation turned to my scars, I stiffened. Riley noticed, but he didn't turn away, he scooted a tad closer. I just smiled briefly at him, and kept pettin'. He really was a sweet dog; he just loved Bella, and c'mon, I can't fault him for that.

But once again, the girl shocked me. She was worried about how _I_ would react when I found out she knew about my scars. Although, what _did_ bother me, was when she mentioned her scars. Course, they would never make a difference to me; I'd already seen the one on her face. But still, just how many did she have? Who had hurt her?

I was brought out of my li'l reverie when Riley snorted again. I had to keep these thoughts at bay; they were just pissin' me off.

I heard Bella explain her knowin' sign language, and Rose told her the reasons behind our different last names. Turned out her secret source was…

"Emmett," both girls said in unison.

Surprise, surprise.

I decided to make my presence known, and nudged Riley off my knee, before standin' and knockin' on the door.

"Come in," a sweet voice called.

_Get your shit together Whitlock!_

I opened the door to reveal Rose and Bella sittin' on Bella's bed. The room was nice. Not too big or too small; simple. I thought it suited her well.

"Yes?" the doe-eyed girl asked.

_Doe-eyed girl? What the fuck?_ I mentally chastised myself.

"Jus' came up here to see if y'all needed any help. Riley did some intervenin' though."

Bella's eyes widened. "Oh! He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Come on, B. I'm sure we would have heard them, if Riley had tried to kill Jasper."

Bella wasn't pacified; she wanted the answer from me.

"No worries Darlin', I'm fine," I cooed at her. I found her concern for me very touchin'.

Rose, bless her, quickly excused herself from the room; leavin' Bella and I alone.

"So…did Alice send you up here to run interference on my wardrobe count?" she joked, her eyes sparkin' with amusement.

I grinned. "Nah. The girl's got Edward for that, the poor bastard," I sighed, and shook my head in mock-dismay.

She laughed quietly, her smile reachin' her eyes. My grin relaxed into a gentle smile as I gazed at the beautiful girl in front of me.

_Now I just have to talk to her 'bout my scars, and we'll be square._

**IMPORTANT A/N:**

**I am so fucking sorry! My summer has been very busy, and went by a helluva lot faster than I was expectin'. I also just got surgery on Monday. (Just wisdom teeth extraction, I'm fine!) And even though my days are a bit lazier, the meds my doc's got me doped up on make me very tired, and I pass out within half an hour. **

**Also, I want to thank all my readers for stickin' with me. I love you all! And even if I don't always respond to your reviews, I do read them all, and they mean the world to me. I think it would really help me write if you guys sent me questions about the plot, or your own ideas of what I could possibly add to make my story better.**

**Thanks again for putting up with my erratic updates. Leave me some love!**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	6. Chapter 6

**BPOV**

Jasper smirked at me, and I immediately felt like an idiot. I was, once again, just sitting here, ogling him.

Not that _he_ seemed to mind the attention.

"Ya think I could come in? Or were you hopin' to catch a peek at somethin' specific?" he chuckled.

The fucking bastard!

Wait a minute…

"You heard that? Rose telling me about…?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I did. And she's right, I'm not mad or anythin'. I was bound to tell you at some point."

"Why were you eavesdropping?"

He at least had the sense to look slightly ashamed. "That wasn't my intention. I was just comin' up to see if you two needed a hand with anythin', but, not wantin' to piss off your dog, I decided to take a page outta Edward's book."

I had to smile at that. They were learning already.

"Well let's hope Emmett has the good sense to do the same," I laughed.

He laughed with me. It was a rich, musical laugh. But also a little rough. I liked it. A lot.

_Get your head out of the gutter, dammit!_

"So," he continued, "may I come in?"

"Oh! Yes, yes. I'm sorry. I must be really out of it." Great, now _I'm_ the fruit bat.

He walked; no he _swaggered_ in, leaving the door ajar. When I saw Riley settle himself between the door and the doorjamb, I realized why. He really didn't want to piss off Riley.

_Smart boy._

I was still sitting on my bed from when Rose and I were talking, and he took her spot across from me. Only difference, he decided to make himself a bit more…_at home._

He leaned back, settling himself on his elbows, and he tipped his head up in my direction, giving me another of his trade-mark smirks.

"_Very_ helpful, I must say. What happened to seeing if I needed a hand?" I shot at him, standing up to put my few belongings away.

"I figured you'd like somethin' nice to look at while you were unpackin'," he drawled.

_Nice._

"Well," I smirked, turning back to him, "you are right; it's a very fine view. But I've laid eyes on better." He looked taken aback.

_Don't be a tease, if you can't take a tease, Mr. Whitlock._

To his credit, he recovered quickly. "That so?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"Yep," I alleged. _Granted, said views had been of the one somewhat- decent relationship I'd had._

Based on his reaction, I could guess he didn't know I was bisexual. He stared at me with a sultry gaze, as I debated whether or not to put the poor boy out of his misery. So I just smiled angelically at him, and went back to unpacking.

I heard the bed groan as he got up, and crossed the room until he was just behind me. With my iPod in one hand, I turned around to face him. The look he gave me was akin to hurt.

I smiled gently at him. "I'm bi, Jazz. I've only ever had one _actual_ relationship. It was with a girl, and it was a long time ago. That'll teach you for being a shameless tease," I snickered at him.

He laughed despite himself. And when he looked back at me, the clouded look had left his eyes.

_Maybe he was a sweet boy after all._

"My apologies, ma'am," he drawled, tipping an imaginary cowboy hat.

_Or maybe he's just a smug bastard who could do with a good ass kicking._

He glanced at my iPod again, and then at my meager stash of belongings, and frowned.

"An iPod with headphones, an old tennis ball, a kindle, and a small pile of clothes," he listed off.

"_And_ a pair of sneakers, my wallet, and all my papers," I added.

He smiled, "And that too."

I returned it. "It's not much, but…it's mine."

"You're the sentimental type." It was a statement, not a question.

"I'd certainly like to think so," I countered, wondering where he was going with this.

"I don't think, I know. You're not the type to care 'bout flair or extravagance. And, to be honest, it's a breath of fresh air."

He was staring off into space at this point, seemingly lost in thought. I shifted my weight so I was right in front of him, and his eyes immediately snapped back to mine. His gaze was earnest, but there was that same intensity to it that I'd seen earlier.

"What makes you so sure?" I asked quietly. "You just met me. How do you know I'm not a bitter harpy, or a poverty-stricken bitch?"

My questions were rhetorical to a degree, but I also knew that he had overheard my conversation with Rose. And I wanted to see just how much he had gotten out of it.

But obviously, the bastard was clairvoyant based on what he said next.

"I heard Rosie tell you 'bout our aunt and uncle. I also heard the li'l tidbits you added in 'bout your life with your brother and his partner. But what really struck me was how you reacted to hearin' 'bout my scars. You weren't disgusted, and you weren't scared. You were worried 'bout how I was gonna take you knowin'. And you based that off of your own viewpoint. So tell me this: just how many more marks are ya keepin' hidden, Miss Isabella?"

He stared intently at me. He was clearly patient, based on his stance, but it was also real fucking clear that he wasn't leaving without some type of an answer.

I pursed my lips. "Say whatever you want, but Travis and James were the best parents I ever had. The _only_ parents I ever had. Travis may be dead, but Jamie isn't. And the second I turn eighteen, I'm getting the fuck out of here, and going home. And the last thing I'm gonna do is let some sweet talking, country boy stop me."

I was fucking pissed.

Jasper's eyes widened. He hadn't expected me to react like that.

I didn't care, I was mad as hell.

"Excuse me?"

I put my iPod down on the desk with the rest of my things, and crossed my arms.

"You heard me."

He got mad then. "_Look_, little girl, I'm not tryin' to take away your precious li'l family. I'm just lookin' out for you. Is it so bad for me to want to get to know you?"

"I'm not Daddy's Little Girl," I deadpanned. "I don't need protecting. And I sure as hell don't need my business becoming the next headline in the Gossip column of the newspaper."

He was still mad, that much was obvious. But he also seemed to be more confused than angry.

But I wasn't done yet.

"And another thing," I snapped, "just because I don't have a penis, does _not_ mean I can't take care of myself. So you can take your Damsel-in-Distress bullshit, and shove it up your ass."

He stared at me; stunned.

_Well it's about time I catch him by surprise. _

But, once again, he was quick to recover his composure.

"Bella, I was never portentous of that. And for the record, the way you handled Emmett and Alice earlier made it _real_ clear you can handle yourself just fine," he snickered. "And I'm sorry. You're not my sister, but after hearin' what I did, I got a li'l overprotective."

"A little?" I decided to tease him a bit.

He chuckled. "Alright, smart ass. Have it your way."

"Happily," I replied cheekily.

I turned back to the desk. I couldn't really call it unpacking. Kindle and iPod on the desk, clothes, sneakers, and bag in the closet, my wallet and papers…eh, hidden, and the tennis ball would end up wherever Riley decides to drop it.

Jasper reached around me and picked up the Kindle. I watched as he twirled it in his hands, and played with the elastic strap that kept the cover shut. He seemed lost in thought, like he was trying to figure something out.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked.

He pursued his lips lightly, before turning to me. "Explain something to me."

"What do you want to know?"

He held out my Kindle. "This," was all he said.

"I like to read?" It sounded like a question.

He chuckled. "Well yeah, I figured as much. What I can't figure out however is where the Kindle comes in with the lack of belongings." He looked at me.

I snorted. "Honestly, I was waiting for someone's curiosity to get the best on them. We all loved to read. Travis, Jamie, and I. But, what with all our money going towards food, clothes, bills, and school, we couldn't exactly afford the luxury of a giant library. So we did the next best thing. Well, _I _did the next best thing." I paused.

After a couple of minutes, he broke the silence with a quiet laugh. "Well don't keep in suspense. What did that clever and connivin' li'l mind of yours come up with?"

I smiled internally at the statement. Travis had always told me I was quite the schemer when I wanted to be. I just never thought it had been that apparent, but, then again, this is Jasper I'm talking too. And he seems to know what makes me tick without thought.

I mentally shook myself. I could think on that line of thought later.

"It wasn't just me. I recruited Jamie too," I smirked.

"Oh, so now you're corruptin' your brother-in-law?" he laughed, shaking his head. "Poor guy."

I stuck my tongue out at him, only to elicit another chuckle. I huffed.

"As I was saying, before I was so _rudely_ interrupted," I glared at him, and found him grinning at me, "Travis's birthday was coming up. This was a couple of years ago, but I told Jamie how I wanted to get Travis a Kindle. What with being a Lieutenant General, he was gone a lot. And he was always complaining about the stupid checking out restrictions at the library. We couldn't afford the major fee that would follow returning a book late, so he never took any with him. The poor boy was terribly bored.

"Anyway, Jamie was all for it. We were both getting a little sick of Travis constantly grumbling about it. So I took some money from my savings and bought him the Kindle, case and all. I even threw in a couple of those Kindle cards that work like the iTunes ones, so he could set up a library of his own.

"We all ended up using it, being the avid readers were…are," I shook my head. _Not the time._

"So, when Travis died, he stated in his will that it should go back to the person that gave it to him. Even though, technically, Jamie helped me pay for it, he meant me. I knew how much Jamie would have liked to have it, so I insisted he take it. He loved Travis too. But he wouldn't hear of it. Travis wanted me to have it, so I should have it. Not to mention the fact that it had been my idea in the first place and I spent the most money on it. His words, not mine."

Jasper smiled at me and wrapped his arm around me. He gave me a pointed look, silently asking if this was ok, and when I didn't protest he pulled me to him in a gentle hug.

"That's a good story," was all he said.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him back. "And an even better memory."

**RPOV**

About an hour after leaving Bella and Jasper to themselves, I was back upstairs, standing in front of the door that had been left ajar.

The sight before me is why I had stopped.

Bella and Jasper stood in front of her desk _hugging._ Not that I wasn't happy; I've been waiting for this sort of this to come around for Jazz. I just hadn't anticipated something like _this_ for awhile.

_Damn, that boy works fast._

And it wasn't just your regular one-armed, pat on the back. Bella's arms were around his waist, with her head resting on his chest, and his arm was draped over her shoulders, holding her to him tightly. His cheek rested on the top of her head.

"That's a good story," Jazz murmured.

"And an even better memory," she whispered back.

It was sweet.

And Lady Luck being the bitch that she was, _I _had to interrupt it.

Yay. Me.

I knocked on the slightly open door, and they loosened their hold on one another as they turned to face me.

I smiled apologetically. "Sorry guys. Charlie sent me up here to tell you that the pizza is here."

Looking between Jazz and me, Bella got a smirk on her face, and her eyes twinkled mischievously.

_Uh-oh…_

"That's fine Rose. It would seem the Whitlock/Hale twins have a knack for eavesdropping," she snickered.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll remember that next time I catch you two getting down to the nitty and gritty." Bella just laughed, and Jasper looked at her with a sweet smile.

_Oh…the boy's got it _bad.

I led the two love doves downstairs. Charlie looked as though he approved, Edward grinned at me, Emmett was giving Jazz the death stare, but a quick glance from me made him hide it a little better, and Alice…

_Oh Christ!_

It would seem _Alice_ wasn't sparing their togetherness a glance. She was looking up and down at Bella's clothes, while scowling and shaking her head. She had done the same thing to me awhile back when we first met. I shut her up pretty quickly.

_Alice, Alice, Alice…will you ever learn?_

Little Miss Thang walked over to Bella with a sickly sweet smile. You could tell by her expression she was still pissed about Bella not wanting to hug or really talk to her earlier, but I was with Bella on that one. Alice just never knows when to shut up; it's seriously a wonder that Edward can deal with her.

Bella, being the good-natured human being that she is, nodded politely at Alice, but she was paying more attention to her conversation with Jasper. That's another thing about Alice that gets to me, it doesn't seem to matter to her if you're already in the middle of a conversation with another person; fashion and her opinions on one's wardrobe always triumph.

"Hey Bella, I was thinking, I have some old clothes that I think would fit you. And they are just gorgeous! They'll touch up your wardrobe perfectly!" Alice gushed.

"Alice," Edward warned, as he tried to pull his girlfriend away from Bella, but she just shook him off, as always.

"So what do you think? I could even take you shopping. You're bag looked too small to hold enough clothes."

Bella's eyes flashed, but she covered it with a tight-lipped smile. Oh, this was gonna be good.

"You want to know what I think. Alright, I'll tell you what I think _Alice_. I think that you need to mind your own damn business. I think you need not worry about my "wardrobe", or the "proper" amount of clothes in it, or the style of those clothes. I think, what I wear, is my decision and no one else's. And I also think that that includes you. Just because you love hugging, and holding hands, kisses on the cheek, and talking a mile a minute about nothing but superficial topics does not mean that everyone else does. And _that_ includes me. If I want your opinion, I'll ask for it. Until then, keep your thoughts to yourself."

The whole time she was bitching out Alice, she was moving her hands in what could have only been sign language. You would think that it'd be kind of stupid, but I think it made her seem a bit more menacing, especially since she never lost her calm tone, nor did she raise her voice.

Alice just stood there, in shock I'm guessing. No one, apart from me, had ever told her off like that. And at the time, I had been too angry to give a damn about my tone or volume. While it was still effective in getting my point across, I had to give Bella kudos; even in the face of the Mini Menace, she had kept her head, and hadn't let her emotions get away with her.

Everyone else, even Edward was grinning at Bella. We were all proud of her. It takes some serious balls to put the Little Hellion in her place.

Taking advantage of the situation, Edward dragged Alice over to the couch where they already had their dinner waiting. Charlie was in his recliner, staring at the TV. But he still had a slight smirk on his face.

When I turned back, Bella had taken Jasper's hand, and was pulling him behind her into the kitchen. Emmett looked about ready to protest, but I shook my head at him. Once they were out of ear shot, I walked over to him.

"Be happy for them," I told him.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me? Just what the fuck is the bastard thinking, moving in on my new baby sis?" he whisper ranted.

"It's not like he's doin it to make her uncomfortable. You saw them. They like each other. Be happy for them," I repeated.

"She _just_ got here. It's too soon!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Em, come on. This is _Jazz_ we're talking about here. It's not like they're gonna jump into bed tonight. Although," I mused, "with how things are going, you never know."

Emmett shuddered at the thought, and I smirked in victory. "Em, you know I'm right. And you _know_ Jasper; he's your best friend. He wouldn't be in this just for sex; I think he really likes her. Give it a chance."

He stared at me as though I'd just grown a second head. "You can't be serious. She is _not_ ready to date!"

"And just how the hell do you know? Like you said, she just got here! Did you not just see the tongue lashing Bella gave Alice? Do you want that to be you? Because then you'll have Bella _and_ me yelling at you. Just stay out of it, and let them see where it goes, _by themselves_."

Emmett looked at me a moment, before sighing in defeat. "You really think this is gonna work out?"

I smiled and shrugged. "I don't know. But I'd like to think so. I want Jasper to be happy, and with Bella he looks happy. As does she. And after all the hand she's been dealt, I think she deserves a little happiness. Even if all it really is is a moment of calm."

"Fine," he grumbled. "I'll butt out. But that doesn't mean I won't kill him if he hurts her."

I smiled at my boyfriend. Already so protective of his new sister. "If he hurts her, I don't think you'll have to. B's a pretty tough chick. She can handle herself. Now come on, I'm hungry."

He took my hand, and we went and joined the love doves for pizza.

**Whew! Well, there you have it. That's got to be one of my fastest updates yet. And for those of you keeping an eye on REDO, it's coming. But if any of you have any ideas for Bella's POV in REDO, please drop me a line. I could use the inspiration.**

**I'd also like to thank helovesmehelovesmenot. Thanks for the idea on the Bella v. Alice Bitch Out. It really pulled the chapter together.**

**As always, thank you for reading. The reviews I get really prompt me to write (hint hint).**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	7. Chapter 7

**JPOV**

I was so damn proud of her. She put Alice in her place and set the boundaries. No one had ever really managed to restrain that girl, save Rose. And honestly, watching Bella set Alice straight was so _hot._ And then she acted as though nothin' had happened. She was very blasé about it. It was rather refreshin' actually. Everybody was always makin' such a big deal about shit; the woman just kept on surprisin' me.

The fact that she was bisexual didn't bother me at all. However, I _was_ surprised she had even told me in the first place. A part of me was thrilled that she already seemed to trust me.

After hearin' what she told me 'bout her brothers…I felt a connection. Despite the fact that Travis had technically been her brother, he still had played the role of a father for her. James had joined in that role when he came along.

Continuin' on that line of thought, I couldn't help but wonder…where _were_ her parents? She had said they were the only parents she had ever known. So, she either had no idea who her birth parents actually were, or they hadn't been involved in her life for some time.

But I felt like she would understand. She sure seemed to understand when Rose told her what had gone down to bring 'bout our parents' end. And maybe even me, to an extent. With the whole scars business. I didn't exactly like showin' them off; _especially_ when Rose was around. All that did was remind her of somethin' that would never be far from her mind in the first place. Plus, they just scared the shit out of her. Accordin' to doctor who had stitched me up, as well as Carlisle, I was, apparently, lucky to be alive. Now, the fact that they had to say that in front of my sister, who was already probably sufferin' from PTSD pissed me to no fuckin' end. She didn't need to know that, on top of everythin' else that had already happened; she had almost lost _me_ too.

I still seethe at the thought of what coulda happened to her. She had only been sixteen when all this shit went down, and yeah, I know, I was sixteen too, but given the upbringin' I had, I was already a man.

And it wasn't that I was ashamed of my scarred body. To me, they were a reminder that I had defended my sister.

But with Bella; she hadn't said "scar", she'd said "scars". Her arms _looked_ clear (although, of course, that didn't mean they were), so that only made me wonder just how scarred up she really is. What was she hidin'? If she was hurt on her torso and/or her legs (bein' the only other fuckin' option) they can't be a small thing. Some serious damage would have to be done for them to be worth coverin' up.

This was so fuckin' frustratin'! It was pretty fuckin' clear B didn't feel like sharin', but damn it! If someone hurt her, and I know someone did, I'll kill 'em. I'll fuckin' kill 'em.

And, in the interest of doin' a complete 180 with my thoughts, I was _really_ surprised when Bella grabbed my hand. Surprised, but happy. Her skin was so soft and warm. I could still taste her on my tongue from when I'd kissed her knuckles.

She led me into the kitchen, and gently pushed me toward the table. She plated six slices of pizza before takin' the seat next to mine; placin' the food between the two of us, so we could both reach it.

Again, I was shocked. Not so much that she chose to sit near me (although I hadn't expected that either), but that she had us eatin' from the same plate. But hey, I'm not complainin'!

She grabbed one of the slices, and I followed suit. Even though she had grabbed pizza from both boxes, we were both eatin' the cheese and mushroom one.

I grinned at her, got up, and switched out the meat lover's pizza for more of the cheese and mushroom, before returnin' to the table. As I was leanin' over her to set the plate down, she looked up at me. Her doe eyes sparkled in tandem with the sweet smile she gave me around a bite of her pizza.

Watchin' her lips wrap around her food…uh, I wanted to kiss her _so badly._ Everythin' 'bout this woman; I was under her spell.

I braced myself on the table, and with my free hand, I reached up to stroke her cheek. She swallowed, and set the remainder of her pizza slice back on the plate. I leaned toward her, glancin' at her lips, before liftin' my eyes back to hers; silently askin' if this was ok.

Her gaze shifted to my mouth, and I purposely flicked my tongue out, hopin' to elicit a reaction.

It worked. Her eyes darkened as her lips parted in a sigh. She locked her eyes with mine, and I _knew._ She wanted this as badly as I did.

I moved the hand that was strokin' her cheek to cup her face. When she leaned into my touch, I was able to feel just how hollow her cheek was. _Too hollow._ How long had it been since the last time she ate somethin'?

I knew my timin' wasn't great. Here I was, with a very beautiful, very sexy, and very _willin'_ girl, practically in my lap. She was waitin' for me to kiss her, and I was thinkin' 'bout fattenin' her up like the witch did with Hansel and Gretel. Like I said: fucked up timin'. But, as it always seems to go when it comes to Bella, my concern for her won out.

Just as I was gonna back off, the li'l minx hooked her arms 'round my neck, pullin' me down into the chair next to hers. And then proceeded to climb into my lap.

_Ok, scratch that earlier thought. Now, I've got a fuck hot and completely kissable girl actually _in_ my lap._

And just _why_ was I tryin' to back off a second ago?

_Uh, because she's grievin' and needs to fuckin' eat. So this ain't the time for a li'l hanky panky._

Right. That's why.

I tried to be good, I really did. But when those warm, wet lips caressed my own, I was a fuckin' goner.

_Food can wait._

I had been makin' sure all of this was her choice; the hug, the kiss, everythin'. So when she thrust her hot li'l tongue into my mouth, I was relieved. I ached to taste her.

My hands moved of their own volition. My right hand restin' on her hip, so my arm was 'round her, and my left tanglin' itself into the soft tendrils of her hair.

At the same time, I felt her hands rubbin' my shoulders and the back of my neck. I hadn't realized I was tense, but Bella's caressin' hands felt too good for me to really fuckin' care.

It ended too soon. But I couldn't kiss her if one of us suffocated. I laid my forehead against hers as we both tried to regulate our breathin'. Her lips were swollen and her eyes shone.

Without really thinkin' 'bout it, my lips connected with hers again. I took control of the kiss this time. It wasn't rushed; it was soft and bruisin', sweet and intoxicatin'.

My hands slipped underneath the edge of her shirt, and I traced patterns on her lower back. She shivered lightly and pushed closer to me.

As much as I didn't want to, I pulled back. We were both pantin' lightly. Her lustful eyes gave me a questionin' glance.

I could hear Rose and Em approachin'. I glanced toward the entryway, and she immediately caught my meanin'.

She leaned towards me, her soft lips just barely brushin' against my ear. "We'll be finishing this later, J." Bella lightly tugged on my earlobe with her teeth, before pullin' back with a smirk adornin' her beautiful face.

I grinned at her. "I'll be takin' you up on that," I whispered. I sucked her lobe into my mouth and twirled my tongue around it before releasin'.

She went to get up, but I made a protestin' noise in the back of my throat, and tightened my grip on her waist. Bella settled back into my lap and handed me a slice of pizza before pickin' up hers.

Rose and Emmett came in, and sat down across from us. Em was eye-balin' Bella on my lap, and even though I knew he was only lookin' out for her, I still didn't like the stink eye he was throwin' her way. B noticed and silenced him with a glare of her own. And Rose refused to be left out, 'cause she glared at the poor bastard too.

Emmett got up to get him and Rose somethin' to eat. Rose threw a quick wink my way while Em's back was turned. I couldn't help but chuckle at her antics.

When he sat back down, he looked at me through narrowed raised my eyebrow at him. I didn't wanna lose my oldest friend, but if he couldn't accept Bella and me, then we were gonna have a problem.

He glanced from me to Bella, and his eyes tightened further. With me, he looked like he'd been sizin' me up, but with B, he looked pissed.

I heard a low growl off to my left. Riley had wandered in, and caught Emmett glarin' at Bella. Em's eyes widened; no doubt, he was thinkin' about the chew toy comment B had made earlier. I felt Bella shake with laughter; she must have been thinkin' the same thing.

When he looked back at Bella, she nodded at him. He caught my eye again and, to my surprise, smiled. I smiled back; we were gonna be ok.

**RPOV**

Thank God Bella has Riley! I think he was the key that made Emmett take a good look at his sister. He saw her happy with Jasper, he saw how Jazz adored her, and he also saw that if Riley didn't object, there was no reason for him to do so.

Ever since New York, what Jazz and I went through, I'd always hoped this would happen for him. And after I met Emmett, I wanted it for him even more. Probably more than he did. But he had made protecting me such a big part of his life; I was afraid that once I met someone who could take over, that he would be alone. Even though we were twins, he always acted the part of the older brother.

A particular memory I had of this, was when we were nine. I remember we were at the playground down the street from our house. Jasper had brought a basketball with him (he had really wanted to practice his lay-up that day), but instead he was pushing me on the swings. I loved to swing, but I couldn't quite pump my legs yet to keep myself going, and there was no one else around to push me.

It was a little later that I told Jasper to go play basketball. He had been playing with me for thirty minutes already, and it was getting late; I wanted him to have his fun too.

I was sitting on my swing, watching Jazz shoot hoops, when a group of boys from the neighborhood had shown up. They were all at least a year ahead of me and Jasper. They started playing on the jungle gym near the swings. I felt a little nervous because they were all bigger and older than me, but Jasper was there, and I knew he wouldn't let anything happen to me.

He had noticed the boys too. His eyes had narrowed, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he picked up his ball and walked over to me.

"Do you wanna go home, Rosie?"

A part of me wanted to say yes. I didn't like those boys. They were the class troublemakers, and they scared me. But at the same time, Jasper had only been playing for about five minutes, and I didn't want to ruin his fun.

That made my decision for me. I wasn't a baby anymore, and my daddy had taught me that just because I didn't like something, didn't mean I should let it ruin my day.

"No Jazz, I'm ok. I wanna watch you play."

He stared at me, as if he was trying to see if I was being honest. He nodded after a few seconds, smiled, and went back to the basketball court.

This went on for a few more minutes without incident, and soon the boys were leaving. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of them heading my way. He hung back a bit from the group, but the others were all watching him. So was Jazz. He had moved closer to the swing set, and was giving the boy walking up behind me the stink eye.

What happened after really shouldn't have been a surprise. The boy pushed me off the swing, causing his friends and him to crow wildly. I wasn't hurt, a scraped knee maybe, but for whatever reason, I started crying.

Then their guffaws got louder. It took me a minute to realize they weren't laughing. They were screaming.

Jasper had thrown his basketball at the boy who'd pushed me. He'd already been leaving, but Jasper was faster. It hit him square in the face, and he fell down screaming and crying. He and the other boys had quickly run off, leaving me with Jasper.

He came over to where I was, picked me up, dusted me off, and set me on a nearby bench. He checked my hands and knees; they were raw and had started bleeding. He asked me if I was hurt anywhere else, I said no. he asked if I could walk, or if I wanted him to carry me. (Even though we were the same age, Jazz was already taller and stronger than me). I wanted to be a big girl and say no, but my knees really hurt, plus Jazz gave the best piggy-back rides.

He didn't wait for an answer. He pulled me into a hug, whispered in my ear, then swung me up on his back, and carried me home.

"Nobody messes with my girl."

An unconscious smile slipped across my face as I thought about that day. I had always been Jasper's girl, but looking at the two love doves sitting across the table from me, I was more than happy to relinquish that title to Bella.

I glanced to my right and caught Emmett watching them too. A tiny smile graced his face, and his previously stony expression had softened. He noticed my gaze, and when he raised his eyebrow I smirked in victory. He rolled his eyes at me but I didn't give a rat's ass; I was too fucking happy.

Jasper caught my eye over Bella's head. I winked at him, and he absolutely beamed.

"Hey Rose," Bella mumbled, "Anything I should know before going to school tomorrow?"

I shrugged. "It's a small town, B. everybody knows everybody, and everybody knows every_thing_ about everybody."

"So I should expect stares, glares, and gossip?" she clarified.

"Pretty much."

She shrugged in a _'big deal'_ kind of way. "Sounds like Las Vegas."

Bella went back to eating her pizza. Jasper placed a gentle kiss to her temple (earning a loving smile from the girl snuggled up in his lap), and returned to his own slice.

Emmett glanced at me. I don't know why, but I gave him a _'What the hell?'_ look and dug in to my meal. Emmett followed suit.

We spent the rest of the evening playing stupid teenager games like 'Ninja' and 'I Never' (with Coca Cola, of course). Bella told us some stories about her brothers. Apparently a favorite one in her old household had been when her grandfather was in the Vietnam War, and to pass the time, they taught monkeys how to smoke. I laughed my ass off at that one!

I was actually looking _forward_ to school the next day.

**Terribly sorry for the delay. Real life came back with a vengeance. **

**And I know I keep saying this, but seriously; comments, questions, ideas, pleas, any replies at all, really help me write.**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Edward's POV**

I have to say, I was impressed with Bella. She held her ground, and refused to let Alice steam-roll over her. Not to say I don't love Alice, I do. I don't however; appreciate the way she's always pushing her opinions and thoughts at others. Alice, unfortunately, has not yet harnessed her verbal filter.

Today was our first day of school with Bella. I had taken Alice home before she could start another bitch-out. (Girl just didn't know when to stop). Emmett came back with Rose to spend the night at our place, but Jasper stayed back at the Swan's…with Bella.

Honestly, I was surprised Emmett let it happen; I imagine Rose played a part in convincing him though.

I was happy for Jasper. Even though I hadn't known Bella long, I could tell she was a sweet girl. And Jasper was a good man; he'd take care of her.

I pulled my Volvo into a vacant parking space, about six cars down from Emmett's Jeep; he'd stopped by his house on the way over to pick up Bella and Jasper. I did this in the hopes of preventing Alice from pissing Bella off again.

As luck would have it, Alice had been paying attention.

"Edward," she chirruped, "why did you park so far down? There was a vacant spot on the other side of the Jeep."

I sighed, and turned to look at my girlfriend, her grey eyes boring into mine. I sighed again.

"Alice," I began, "you and I both know why I chose to overlook that parking space."

Her expression portrayed confusion, but I knew better.

"Don't bother pretending you don't know what I'm referring to."

She didn't give up her act. I figured I should just cut my losses and spell it out for her. "I parked over here in an attempt to prevent another confrontation between you and Bella."

"What?" She was incredulous. "Edward, I was only trying to help her. _She_," Alice sneered, "should be apologizing to _me_."

I stared at her, and she glared back at me.

_She can't be serious. There is _no way_ she's _that _clueless._

Her eyes were hard as flint; her mouth set in a firm line. She _was_ serious.

_Holy shit._

I rolled my eyes and got out of the car. I wasn't entirely sure why, but Alice and I ever seemed to see eye to eye these days. It had been so much easier when we had first started dating. I sighed. Alas, that was always the case. Bella caught my eye (and my frown) and waved me over. I grinned at her. She really was a sweetheart.

She walked forward, meeting me about halfway. She leaned towards me.

"Are you ok? Your expression was a mixture of disgust, anger, disbelief, and wistfulness," she whispered conspiratorially.

I snorted. "You are surprisingly perceptive. And also correct. It's rather eerie actually."

It was her turn to snort. "Have you ever considered that maybe you're just one of those guys that wears his heart on his sleeve?" she smirked.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Nice try, B." I started to walk past her, towards the others, but I stopped just beside. "And yeah, I'm ok. Thanks."

She smiled at me over her shoulder, before turning to Jasper (who had appeared on her right) and taking his hand, walked towards the school.

I turned back towards the Jeep…only to find Rose had stepped up behind me.

She smiled at me, but her eyes were drinking in the sight of Jasper and Bella.

"They're cute together."

I couldn't help but softly chuckle at such a simple phrase.

"She's good for him," I agreed. Then I had a thought.

I turned to Rose; a sly grin on my face. I offered her my arm, saying, "Madam," as I did so.

True to character, she rolled her eyes at me, but decided to humor me and hooked her arm through mine anyway. We strolled after Bella and Jasper, leaving Emmett back at the Jeep. He could find the school by himself.

As we passed my car, I glanced over. It's empty; Alice must have gone to class. Rose noticed my stare, and gave me a questioning look.

"Is everything ok between you and Alice?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

Through my periphery, I saw her staring at me in confusion, but she shrugged it off.

"Suit yourself."

We caught up to Jasper and Bella at the door. Jasper stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her to him. Bella stood with her head bowed, her hair falling to conceal her face. Her left hand clung to Jasper's wrist, and her right clutched something at her throat.

"Bella?" Rose whispered. She raised her hand to pet Bella's hair. Bella flinched slightly, causing Rose to pause, before she relaxed to the gesture.

"Are you alright, honey?"

Bella lifted her head slightly, and Rose pushed her hair back over her ear. She gave Rose a rueful smile and a shrug. "As much as to be expected, given the circumstances."

Circumstances? "Bella?" I asked softly. "What's that you're holding?"

Her eyes softened as she turned her gaze down to said mystery. She opened her hand as a flower opens its petals to reveal two flat, rectangular pieces of metal on a silver chain. The rectangular pieces had indentations on them; printing.

They were dog tags.

Ah, the circumstances. I kept forgetting that Bella had only just recently lost Travis.

_And James, and her home, and her life…_

No wonder Bella looked like she had just taken a punch to the gut. She was a tough girl, but now I was even happier she had Jasper (as well as the rest of us). No one should have to go through that alone.

Jasper squeezed her waist and placed a soft kiss behind her ear. Bella turned slightly towards him, the corner of her lips quirking up into a tiny half-smile.

Rose stepped forward. "Come on; I'll walk you to your first class."

Bella gave Jasper a quick kiss goodbye, before hooking her arm through Rose's and sauntering off. Jasper stared after them; his face drawn with concern.

I clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, man, it'll get easier…for the both of you."

He kind of glared at me, but he appeared to calm down after a moment. "And what makes you so sure?"

Now it was my turn to give _him_ a look. "It's gotten easier for you and Rose has it not?"

His nostrils flared a bit, but he smiled at the same time. Jasper had never been very open to discussing his life before Carlisle and Esme had adopted him and Rose. (I may be their biological son, but with everybody else referring to my parents by their first names, it was bound to rub off on me eventually).

I grinned back at him, before shoving him through the door. "Come on," I told him, just as the bell rang. "We're gonna be late."

. . .

Jazz and I met back up with the girls later at lunch. Emmett was already at the table; Alice, however, was nowhere to be found.

Jasper quickly sat next to Bella. Em was next to jasper, and Rose him; leaving a seat between Bella and Rose for me.

Bella grinned at me, and waved me over.

I sat down in time to hear Emmett bitching to Bella about poker; apparently she'd whooped his ass. Bella was defending herself with the argument that playing cards was a popular past time for people in the military; James and Travis had taught her a couple of things.

"Em, she's from Vegas," I intervened.

"And there's that," Bella laughed.

Jasper had his arm wrapped around her, and she leaned into him as she continued laughing at Emmett. He smiled at her and kissed her hair.

Lunch passed without much event, save the many stares and pointed fingers directed at Bella. Jessica Stanley, the biggest gossip in school, even came up to our table.

"Aren't you Isabella Swan?" Her finger was pointed at Bella; her expression clearly showing she was looking for "dirt" on the new girl.

Bella took one glance at Jessica, and the finger pointed at her, and replied, "Every time you point a finger at someone, there are three pointed back at you."

To say Jessica was startled would be an understatement. She did an impression of an open-mouthed bass as she gaped, before stomping off in a huff as Bella continued to ignore her.

We all just stared at Bella. She was drinking her water and nibbling at the food she shared with Jasper, acting as though she hadn't just sideswiped the town's pariah. Bella caught our glances and shrugged.

What followed, I honestly cannot explain. Maybe it was Jessica's expression, maybe it was the interaction as a whole, but what I think really caused it, was Bella's utter nonchalance about the entire situation.

We laughed. Bella looked at us like we were all mental, but that only made us laugh harder. Her lips twitched, and she finally joined in with her own infectious laughter. And right then, I was thankful to Jessica for walking over. It was worth it to see Bella so free, her expression unclouded from the hell that had become her life.

Jasper's eyes met mine, and I could tell he agreed with me. I grinned at him, and he threw one back at me.

What could I say? When I was right, I was right.

"So how's your first day goin' so far, Darlin'?" Jasper asked Bella. I leaned forward eagerly; I'd been wondering the same thing.

Her carefree expression was replaced with one of indifference. She shrugged.

"Just like Rose said: stares, glares, and gossip." Her eyes tightened ever so slightly, contradicting her lazy tone.

Jasper's narrowed as he looked down at her, but she wouldn't meet his gaze. He leaned in and whispered something to her that I didn't catch. He must have been asking her a question, because she shrugged in response. I noticed Rose was scrutinizing Bella, and Emmett kept glancing at the pair out of the corner of his eye.

And then suddenly, I realized what was wrong.

**What's wrong with Bella? Is Edward right? Leave me your thoughts.**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Whomever izzy is, I'm sorry I did not reply to your review; I couldn't find you on the site.**

**Edward's POV**

"Someone was talking about Travis."

Everyone's gazes snapped from Bella to me. Everyone except Bella. She did, however, tense at the mentioning of her dead brother, and turned her face further into Jasper's chest. I briefly wondered if she did that to hide her scar.

As she was hiding her face, I stared at the back of her head as I pressed my point. I knew I was right; Travis was the only reasonable explanation.

"Someone did, didn't they? Who was it?"

Bella flinched at my obviously harsh tone. Jasper pulled her closer to him, and shot me death glare. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rose and Emmett glaring at me too. Before I could correct myself and backtrack, Rose took over.

"Bella, honey," she whispered, "is Edward right? Please? Who was it?"

Jasper began murmuring to her again, presumably asking the same things we were. His hand gently trailed over her arm in a soothing manner. She relaxed into his embrace, but kept her face hidden. Jasper kissed her forehead before burying his face in her hair.

Rosalie chose that moment to hit me.

I turned my attention to her. She was glaring at me, and her nostrils were flared.

"What?" I mouthed.

She rolled her eyes, but glanced meaningfully at her brother and his girlfriend, before returning her glare to me.

Oh. Rose was chastising me for so blatantly staring at them in their private moment.

Oops.

My expression must have been sheepish (and somewhat guilty) enough for her, because she basically ignored me after that.

Rosalie and I had never had an easy relationship. After what happened with her family, and she and Jasper moved in with us, she would only spend time with Jasper, and on occasion, Esme. If Jasper left a room, so would she. Jasper and Emmett became friends before he started dating Rose. Emmett did what the rest of us, not even Esme, could not accomplish.

He broke through Rose's shield.

I sighed to myself just as the bell rang. Time for class…with Alice _and_ Rose.

_Great._

**BPOV**

_If today was your last day  
And tomorrow was too late  
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?_

_Would you live each moment like your last?  
Leave old pictures in the past  
Donate every dime you have?_

_Would you call old friends you never see?  
Reminisce old memories  
Would you forgive your enemies?_

_Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?  
Swear up and down to God above  
That you finally fall in love_

_If today was your last day_

I shook my head at Nickelback's _If Today Was Your Last Day_. Oddly appropriate, but that didn't mean I had to be happy about it.

I sat outside at one of the picnic tables. I was in study hall, and there was only 10 minutes left before lunch, and I could see Jasper.

_Why the fuck would I need a study hall? I could be in a class, keeping my mind off of Travis!_

I winced. I had already been missing Travis this morning when we came to the school. I don't know what happened; one second I just want to get on with all the first day bullshit so that it'd be done, and the next, Jasper is holding me and trying to calm me down. The man's a saint.

_The fucking asshole! He had no right to say those things! None!_

My grip tightened on the edge of the wooden table. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I thought about last night; Jasper had slept over.

_ We were lounging in the living room. Jasper was lying on his side on the couch, and I was curled up in front of him. His left arm was around my waist, holding me to him, while his right arm supported my head. Riley was lying on the floor, right below my head. Ever the guard dog._

_The TV was on with _Two and a Half Men_ playing. I couldn't stop laughing at how Jake kept managing to outsmart Charlie._

_ Jasper lightly kissed my neck. I turned slightly so I could kiss him fully on the mouth. I hadn't even known him a day and I already felt safe with him; already trusted him. I still didn't understand it, but I did._

_ "Are you tired?" he whispered against my lips. I shook my head, and kissed him again. Screw exhaustion! I had a gorgeous man lying next to me, dammit!_

_ "Do you want to go to bed?" That same sexy tone. I nodded this time. He grinned, before tossing me over his shoulder and carrying me up the stairs. I was laughing by the time he set me on the bed._

_ He kissed me again, like he had earlier in the kitchen. My hands moved to play with the hair on the nape of his neck. His lips were chapped, but so soft._

_ I don't know how long it lasted, but we were both gasping for breath when we finally separated. He didn't ask to take it further, and for that I was grateful. I couldn't. Not now._

_ I glanced at my watch; it was after eleven. I yawned and Jasper chuckled._

_ "Tired?"_

_ Stifling another yawn, I nodded._

_ He stood, offered his hand, and pulled me off the bed. I stumbled to the bathroom to change and brush my teeth. _

_ When I got back, I found Jasper had also changed. Plaid pajama pants and no shirt. He was tanned, tone, and fucking hot. I was one lucky lady._

_ Catching sight of me and my attire, his eyes darkened slightly and he grinned wickedly at me. I smirked in response._

_ Taking my hand again, he led me to the bed (where he had already pulled back the covers) and let me climb in, before crawling in after me. Jasper flipped himself onto his back, and I settled my head on his chest. He was so warm. I felt safe and loved. For the first time since Tray died, my eyes slipped closed without a fight. _

_ Right before I fell asleep, I noticed Riley curled up at the foot of the bed. I think I slept with a smile on my face._

I was snapped out of my musings by the bell.

_'Bout fucking time._

My hand ached slightly from the grip I'd exerted on the table. It was red and raw from where the rough wood bit into it, but whatever. It had nothing on my arms. I tugged my sleeves down to hide the bruises. I'd tell Emmett and Jasper…later. I knew they'd be upset that I didn't tell them ASAP, but upset I can deal with.

I schlepped to the door where all the other study hall kids were stampeding to get through.

_Animals._

Rose was already waiting, although she made sure to stand well away from the door. Smart girl.

I must have looked depressed or something, because she gave me a quizzical look. I cocked my eyebrow at her. I don't know how long our staring contest lasted, but eventually Rose just shrugged and led the way to the cafeteria.

Jasper wasn't there yet, but Emmett was. Rose pulled me to the lunch line; we each grabbed a tray and tossed in random food items. I didn't really care what I grabbed; I didn't eat much, and I'd be sharing with Jasper anyway.

Rose and I sat down with Emmett, and within seconds, half of the food Rose had bought was either gone or in the process of being shoved down Emmett's mouth. Rose wrinkled her nose, but smiled, and I just laughed.

Jasper appeared next to me, and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me into a hug. I smiled at him, but glancing over his shoulder, I saw Edward just standing there. I beckoned him over, and he took the empty seat next to me. I would have to find a time to talk to him later. Something was up between him and Alice. And I was fairly certain I knew why.

Lunch was fun and relaxing; a much needed change from this morning. Some red head came up to the table, babbling to me about being the "new girl." I would have just ignored her, but I don't like people who point fingers. Years spent walking the streets of Vegas with whispered rumors and pointed fingers in my wake. I recited that quote that denounces finger pointing to her, and after she realized I wasn't going to give her the time of day, she stormed off to go have her little temper tantrum.

I honestly didn't see what so funny about the whole thing, but everybody else was freaking giddy. Eventually I broke down and joined in the antics.

"So how's your first day goin' so far, Darlin'?" Jasper asked, once things had calmed down.

_There went my good mood._

I wanted to tell Jazz what happened, but not with everybody else listening. I kept my expression carefully guarded as I shrugged, hoping to placate him with my answer. "Just like Rose said: stares, glares, and gossip."

I think he caught the hint, because he whispered so only I could hear when he asked, "What's goin' on, Baby?"

I shrugged again, keeping my eyes on the table. I could feel my expression tightening into one of anger. I tried to calm myself, but I couldn't get those idiots and their taunts out of my head.

"Someone was talking about Travis?"

_Damn you Edward!_

I rested my head on Jasper's chest and closed my eyes. I _really_ didn't want to deal with this shit.

"Someone did, didn't they? Who was it?" he pressed.

I felt Jasper tense at Edward's tone. I didn't like it either, but I was to mentally exhausted to tell him to shut it.

"Bella, honey, is Edward right?" Rose asked. "Please? Who was it?"

Jasper must have been able to sense my reluctance, because he murmured, "Don't worry 'bout it right now, Honey. You can tell me later."

I felt myself relax into him as he kissed my forehead, and pressed his face into my hair. I was so relieved he let it go. For now.

We stayed like that for I don't know how long, but then the bell rang. We bid farewell to our siblings, and headed off to our joint Latin class.

We reached the classroom, only for me to freeze in my tracks. The guy from earlier was leering at me. I tensed; my automatic response to that kind of expression, as well as many others.

This was gonna be a _long_ class.

**My sincerest apologies for the delay. I was doing so well with writing, but then school decided to come back with a vengeance. **

**I got all of one guess on the cliff hanger from my last chapter. She wasn't right, but hey, she tried. **

**So who do you think is harassing Bella? And why do think preparing for a fight is her automatic response? If you guess, I **_**WILL**_** tell you if you're right or not. **

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	10. Chapter 10

**BPOV**

I pulled Jasper towards the back corner of the room. If that smug idiot was gonna try something, (a) I wanted to be able to see it coming, and (b) I wanted to be as far away from him as fucking possible!

The class was spent working on the newest chapter packet. I'd taken Latin back in Vegas; excelled at it really. And we had already covered the material we were working on today. I flew through the packet and was done within 15 minutes. Jasper finished five minutes after I did, and turned to me with his eyebrow raised.

_Uh oh._

"What's goin' on Darlin'?" he whispered.

I looked away. I _really _didn't want to discuss this with him here. Especially with that vile _thing_ still leering at me.

"Can't we talk about this later?" I muttered.

Jasper rested his hand very gently on mine; so gently that I could have pulled away with no difficulty.

"Don't shut me out Bella."

When I looked back at him, it was to find his eyebrows drawn in concern, and his eyes heavy with sadness and worry.

And, if I wasn't mistaken, a little rejection.

_Once again, damn you Edward._

I flipped my hand, and twined my fingers with his. I lifted our joined hands, and brushed my lips across his knuckles.

I hated seeing the hurt in his eyes. For a long time, Travis was the only one who cared enough to try and take my pain away, and then James, when he came along. Knowing what I did now about Jasper, he had been Rose's Travis. I couldn't help but wonder if he had anyone.

Looking into his eyes made the decision for me. It didn't matter if he did or not, because I would be that person for him now.

I scooted as close to him as these stupid rusty chairs would allow. I kept his hand entwined with mine; for the first time, noticing the scars he carried there.

_Is my eyesight that bad?_

I ran my fingers over the tiny scars very similar to the ones on my hands.

_Must have had a run-in with some glass._

I kissed every scar I could find. They ran along his palm, his fingers, the heel of his hand, and his knuckles. There were even a few scratches on the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry Jasper," I murmured laconically.

He brought his right hand, as I still held his left prisoner, up to my chin and tilted my face so our eyes met. His were gentle and filled with understanding, and something else I recognized but couldn't identify.

"Ssh Baby," he crooned. "I know what you meant. I'm not upset. But I _am_ worried. What's wrong?"

I sighed. The last thing anyone needed was for a fight to break out. And once Jasper found out what _it_ said (not to mention Emmett), that is exactly what would happen.

_Because apparently, my right hook wasn't enough of a lesson for the scrawny bastard._

"Later?" I asked.

He stared at me for a minute before relenting with a sigh of his own.

"Fine, but enough with the Bambi eyes." He winked and I smiled.

_Talk about dodging a bullet._

Thankfully, the bell chose that moment to ring, signaling the end of the day. Jasper led me out to the parking lot, and over to Emmett's Jeep. He and Rose weren't there yet, so we waited.

Jasper, however, had other plans.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and, leaning back against the Jeep's door, pulled me against him.

"It's later."

I shook my head. "No can do, Cowboy. When we get home."

He shrugged. "Can't fault me for tryin'." And then his mouth was on me.

He kissed my lips, my cheeks, my chin, anywhere he could reach. My fingers automatically threaded themselves through his soft curls, pulling him closer. I forgot where we were, I forgot about the family, I forgot that asshole, hell, I even forgot Travis. That's what I loved about Jasper. With him, I could just…forget.

"If I wanted to watch my best friend suck tongue with my baby sis, I'd have stayed home last night."

I jumped. Partly because I hadn't heard Emmett approach, and partly because of the "baby sis" comment. Both Jasper and Rose had more or less forewarned me about how Emmett already loved me like I was his flesh and blood baby sister. I was glad Emmett liked me and all, but…Travis was my brother. James was my brother. Emmett…he was getting there.

I took a deep breath and turned to glare at my surrogate brother. His nose was scrunched up in disgust, but he waggled his eyebrows at me when I turned to look at him.

"Nice phrasing there, Em," I quipped.

He shrugged, his trademark smirk taking over. "I thought so."

I rolled my eyes and turned back into Jasper's arms. He, in turn, directed me to the now unlocked Jeep, and helped me in.

Rose had been bugging me all day about coming over to meet Carlisle and Esme. I didn't really _want_ to meet them, despite everyone's insistence that they're wonderful parents. But when it comes to "parents," I'm a skeptic and a cynic. I finally relented though, just to get Rose to shut up.

And I was really starting to regret those ten seconds of insane irritation right about now.

Jasper misinterpreted my tension. "Relax Darlin', they're gonna love you," he soothed.

I gave him a tight-lipped grimace. He could compliment them until he was blue in the face; I still wouldn't feel soothed.

After about five minutes, we reached the end of the Cullen's driveway. Never in my life had I heard of something so ridiculous. Back in Vegas, our driveway was a patch of gravel; acted as a garage too.

Speaking of garages, the Cullens had so much freaking space that they used an "outbuilding" (more like a small, ranch styled house if you ask me) for the many cars owned by various family members.

If I thought I was stunned when I got my own bedroom at Charlie's, it was nothing compared to just how flabbergasted I was now.

Jasper took my hand, and helped me down from the monstrosity that was Emmett's jeep. The tires came up to my waist for Pete's sake!

I skimmed the line of cars that took up the Cullen's "garage." Jamie had always been good with cars. He'd even taught me a few basic things should our truck ever die on me.

Obviously, it wasn't the _truck _I had to worry about.

My eyes landed on a black model '73 Chevy. It was old, but well cared for; definitely not a Junker. The cab was a two-seater and the paint job was faded. The tires and body were splattered with dried mud. And I absolutely loved it.

Jasper came up behind me; his arms around my waist, his lips at my ear. He nodded at the truck. "That one's mine."

I turned to him with what had to be the most idiotic expression ever. I knew I was grinning like a fool, but I couldn't bring myself to care. The truck had Texas license plates; it must have been either Jasper's or his dad's.

He laughed at me. "I'm glad you approve."

I snickered. "I'm a sucker for trucks. Especially old, black, mud spattered, '73 model Chevys."

"That specific, huh?"

"Well, it's the Texas plates that drove it home for me," I breathed.

His grin was slow, but beautiful. His eyes lit up, and he just…_glowed_. He pressed his lips to my artery, kissing me over and over again. I rested my head back on his shoulder, giving him better access. Jasper hummed against my skin, and I jerked back slightly. He looked up at me in surprised concern.

I laughed. "That tickled."

He snorted and hugged me tighter. He went back to humming, and I scrunched up my shoulders to protect my neck from his tickle attack.

He laughed, pressing his face into my hair. I curled against his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist. My muscles protested but I ignored it; I was _not_ about to get into _that_ with Jasper while in the Cullen's "garage."

"Ready to meet the folks, Sugar?"

I stiffened, consequently hugging Jasper tighter. I tried to stifle my hiss as my muscles contracted painfully, but jasper heard regardless.

He gently pulled me away from him; his eyes alight with concern.

"Darlin'?"

I bit my lip. Jasper's expression darkened. His mouth flattened, his nostrils flared, and his eyes hardened. For the first time since I'd met Jasper, I was afraid of him.

Wordlessly, I tugged up my sleeves, revealing the bruises that marred my arms.

**I'd like to thank Prophetical, IheartJW, and KC420 for taking a guess at who is Bella's tormentor. Being the sweet little geniuses that they are, they all guessed correctly. The rest of you will all have to wait! ;)**

**So…any guesses on J's reaction? How about meeting the Cullen parents? Or, you can still make a last ditch effort at who's been roughing B up.**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	11. Chapter 11

**JPOV**

I saw red.

My li'l darlin's arms were covered with black and blue and every other color in between. The bruises and…_fingerprints_…only were fittin' to make her pale arms paler.

I gently brushed my fingers over her arms. She winced, and a soft gasp escaped her lips. I felt myself calm down. No doubt, I was still mad as hell, but lookin' into her bottomless eyes…they held so much fear. It reminded me of Rose.

Yes, I was still angry, _very_ angry, but my girl was more important.

I pulled her into my arms, bein' careful of her bruises. Her eyes were cast down, and she was gnawin' on her lip. Normally, that'd have my mind off with all sorts of fantasies, but as always, she was more important.

"Talk to me Baby. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Bella hid her face in my neck. I felt the tears on my skin just as I heard her breath hitch, but she shook her head.

I cradled her to me, whisperin' sweet nothin's in her ear to calm her down.

Surprisin'ly, it was only a minute later that she had moved her head to rest on my shoulder, and her eyes were dry. If my neck wasn't damp with her tears, I'd have never known she'd been cryin'.

I pressed kisses along the length of her scar, and rubbed her back.

"He was shorter than you, maybe 5'7, 5'8. He had light brown hair. It was spiked, and he reeked of hair gel. His eyes were a dull blue. He was skinny and dressed like a jock. He and his pals ambushed me in the bathroom. How the hell do five jocks slip into the girl's bathroom, and no one noticed?" Bella grumbled.

"I'll kill them!"

I peered over my shoulder. Oh, Rose and Emmett hadn't gone inside like I thought they had. Man, I am _really_ not very aware of my surroundings.

Rose came up behind me and leaned her head against my shoulder. Bella shifted slightly so her eyes connected with Rose's. Here I had both of my girls leanin' on me, and I wasn't sure which of the two was in more pain over what had happened.

"I know who did it," Rose whispered.

Our eyes snapped to Rose. I felt Bella quiver slightly, and I pulled her tighter against me.

"Mike Newton."

"That's him," Bella breathed.

Rose cocked her head to the side. "I thought you didn't know who he was."

"I didn't. But they kept saying 'Mike' whenever they deferred to him. Not that they needed to; they were just there to guard the door and jeer him on," she mumbled.

I didn't really hear Bella's explanation. My mind had stuck to one thought. _Mike Newton._ And judging from the expression Emmett was wearin', his had too.

I forced myself to focus on Bella. "Darlin', I'll take you home if you're not up to meeting Carlisle and Esme right now. Would you prefer that?"

She deliberated a moment, gnawin' on her lower lip. She straightened up and squared her shoulders.

"Let's go meet them," she decided, lacing her fingers through mine.

I grinned, and led her out of the garage and over to the house. I was so proud of her. Rose and Emmett trailed behind us, but eventually Rose dragged Emmett over and hooked her arm through Bella's.

During our li'l walk down memory lane, Edward and Alice had come home. Somethin' was definitely up with those two; I'd never seen them so tense around each other. Edward sat at his piano, fiddling with some papers, and Alice was sprawled out on the couch, flippin' through a magazine.

"Hello Bella."

I looked up at the entrance from the kitchen. Carlisle and Esme stood there, smiling at my beautiful girl.

The corner of Bella's mouth hitched up. "Hello," she responded quietly.

Esme, of course, came forward first. She was ecstatic at the knowledge that Bella and I had hit it off. On top of that, she was hoping to be a mother figure for Bella. After hearing stories from both Charlie and Emmett, she wanted to help Bella.

"Darlin', this is Esme."

She extended her hand to Bella. "It's very nice to know you, Bella."

Bella's smile was more genuine when she answered, "Thank you. I'm happy to meet you as well."

"Hello Bella." Carlisle stepped up next with his hand out. "Welcome to our home."

"Thank you for having me, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen."

"Oh please, dear. It's Carlisle and Esme," Esme admonished her, but she was smiling.

Bella grinned back.

_So far, so good._

"Hello Bella," Alice's nasally voice permeated the air.

_And there went my good mood._

I had yet to find the humor in Alice's behavior towards Bella yesterday. Bella had more or less brushed it off, and had told me to do the same. But hey, that only proved she was too good for me.

_Eh. She's mine. I'm happy._

Bella turned to face her. Alice had abandoned her magazine, and her sprawled position on the couch, and she was now makin' her way towards us. Her expression was sickly sweet and completely nauseating.

"Alice," was Bella's cordial response.

"So…did you have _fun_ at school today?" she smirked.

Bella blinked, I blinked, hell everybody blinked. Edward was the one to finally speak up.

"Alice, what did you do?"

She looked at him in mock surprise.

"Me?" _So fake._ "I didn't do anything."

"Bull! You were running your mouth to Mike Newton; you're the reason he and his goons attacked Bella!" Rose accused.

"Attacked? Bella was attacked?" Edward.

The girl in question pulled up her sleeves to reveal those bruises. Her arms looked broken, for Christ's sakes!

"What happened?" Carlisle was in doctor mode, and had already begun examining Bella's arms.

Rose relayed Bella's explanation. At the end, Bella added a few details she'd omitted earlier.

"They kept going on and on about Tray's being gay. And somehow they knew I was bi. Eventually, they told me they didn't need any lesbians here, and to go back where I came from. That pissed me off, simply because there is one _hell_ of a distinction between being _lesbian _and being _bisexual_."

Alice snorted, rolling her eyes.

Bella cocked her head at her. "You got something to say?"

"No, I…"

"Then can it."

Alice's eyes narrowed, but to everyone's shock, she kept her mouth shut.

"As I was saying…the only people who could possibly have known all of that belong to this family. I know Rose, Emmett, and Jasper didn't. Esme and Carlisle obviously didn't. And Edward… he wouldn't."

Alice chose now to break her code of silence. "And just _what_ makes you so certain that Edward would respect your privacy?"

Bella smirked. "Two things. One being you don't."

Alice waited. "And the second?" she snapped.

"Is none of your business."

Alice's eyes narrowed, and Edward's expression was both uncertain and relieved.

_Weird combo._

"None of my business? _Edward _is my _boyfriend!_ Whatever concerns him, concerns _me_."

"Was," Edward announced. "I _was_ your boyfriend Alice. Not anymore. And no, my business does _not_ concern you in the slightest."

Alice gaped. Funny, because the rest of us had certainly seen this comin'.

He continued. "But I suppose I can spare you one more piece of information."

Bella interrupted, "Edward, are you sure?"

_What the hell? She knows what's goin' on?_

Edward smiled wryly. "Yes, Bella. I'm sure."

"I'm gay."

**IMPORTANT A/N:**

**First off, apologies for the delay. First it was the holidays, then school, then a DBQ. And on top of that, I have exams in three days! It's amazing I can still **_**think!**_

**Second, I have a new story idea. I have the summary, the pairing, and the beginning.**

**All I need is a title.**

**That is where you, my readers, come in. **

**I am offering up a chance for all of you to decide the title of my next story. If you send me a review (and I mean an **_**awesome**_** review!) I will send you my rough draft of the summary, and you can send me your title ideas. **

**I will select my favorite ones, and then set up a poll, so then everyone can vote on it.**

**If one of the people voting would like to see the summary so as to get a feeling for the story, all they have to do is ask. But that is not an option until **_**after**_** the poll is up.**

**However, I will not be starting this new story (at least not on fanfic) until after I've completed REDO and Sweet B. so the more you encourage me on these two, the sooner you'll get to see my new one.**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	12. Chapter 12

**RPOV**

_Well it's about damn time!_

Honestly, I thought Edward was _never_ gonna come out. Although, if I had any say in it, he'd come out of that damn closet if I had to beat and drag him out.

Bella had been hinting at something with Edward all day. But it wasn't until our Latin class after lunch that I'd figured it out.

_And here I'd always thought myself to be perceptive._

Edward had been tense throughout the whole period. Alice sat next to him, and I behind them. Usually, Alice couldn't shut up, and blabbed to him the whole class, but today she was uncharacteristically cold towards him. To be fair though, they didn't appear to be the happy-go-lucky couple this morning.

I always knew there was something different about Edward, but I hadn't been able to put my finger on it until I met Bella.

She was the first LGBTQ person I'd ever met. I'll admit I _was_ a tad surprised when I found out. And more than a little worried about Jasper's reaction to Bella having dated a girl. The sad part is that I should've known better. Jasper is just too mellow of a person to let something like sexual orientation bend him all out of shape.

I guess I could see why Edward had chosen to date Alice. Physically, she was rather boyish. Personality wise, she behaved like every stereotypical gay man in every stereotypical movie combined all into one.

Except for the fact that someone had clearly pissed in her cornflakes. Seriously, why else would she have such a bad case of sour grapes?

"Duh," Esme answered.

Edward's eyes popped open, and his jaw dropped. I couldn't blame him; I hadn't seen that one coming either.

"Mom," he stuttered, "you knew?"

"Honey, of course I did," was her sweet reply.

"You did?" Carlisle asked.

"Oh come now, Carlisle. I'm his mother, and frankly…his relationship with Alice only made it more obvious."

_Bring on the shell-shock._

"What?" Alice shrieked. "Are you suggesting I turned Edward _gay_?"

"Oh no, dear, of course not. You just helped him realize it."

"But…but…that's horrible!" Alice sputtered.

_Bad move there, chica._

Bella stepped forward, eyes hard and arms crossed. "What's wrong with being gay?"

Her tone held a warning, but did Alice heed said warning?

"Nothing," she replied snottily, "for _you_."

_Of course not._

Bella ran her tongue over her teeth and her eyes flashed. Her muscles tensed as she stalked over to Alice.

"And just what," _there was that warning tone again, _"do you mean by that?"

Alice smirked. She must have believed Carlisle and Esme's presence insured her safety.

It wouldn't.

"I don't mean anything at all," she placated. "Except that that particular _lifestyle_ is unnecessary here."

_Why that little…_

_CRACK!_

Alice collapsed to the floor, wailing as blood poured from her nose.

_Go Bella!_

My glance flickered to Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle was in doctor made and attending to Alice, but his lips were twitching. Esme was trying to stifle her giggles.

Emmett whooped. He ran to pick Bella up, and swung her around…only for Jasper to grab her again when he set her down.

I looked over at Edward. He had reclaimed his seat at his piano, and was smiling peacefully on the chaotic scene before him. He caught my eye and winked at me.

And that's when my laughter came.

. . .

**Emmett's POV**

Huh, so Eddie was gay.

Can't say I'm surprised; I'd always had the sneaking suspicion that he pitched for the other team. I'd certainly teased him about it enough times.

What I don't get is how the hell Bella figured it out. For Christ's sakes, she just met Edward _yesterday_. Then again, she just met Jazz yesterday too, and they were already together.

According to Carlisle, B's sucker punch had broken Alice's nose. When he finished taping her nose up, Alice looked like a she was wearing a white clown nose. B must've thought so too, because she made sure to point it out to Alice. The girl went ballistic and darted up to her room (presumably to check her reflection and/or hide). We could hear her howling and wailing up there like a dying animal. No one could stop laughing. Not even Carlisle and Esme.

"Hey B," I called her attention, "where'd you learn to punch like that?"

Her answering expression was one of incredulity.

"Emmett, my brother and his boyfriend were in the _military_. Where do ya think?" She had spoken slowly, as though she was explaining this to a small child.

_Well that's just rude._

"Well excuse me for asking a question!" I quipped.

She smirked. "You're excused."

I grimaced. Everybody else laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, you bastards."

And they did. _Of course._ I glanced over at Bella. Her happy, laughing expression beat the hell out of the broken and frightened one she'd worn only an hour ago.

If turning a joke on me caused this kind of a change in her demeanor, then I'd have to do it more often.

Bella shrugged. "Well it's one way to make a first impression."

Jasper chuckled. "Any chance you made the same impression on Newton?"

"Not exactly."

"Define: 'not exactly'."

"Let's just say the boy will probably never be able to have kids."

Jasper hugged her, Rose high-fived her, and I pounded fists with her. It was the Alice situation all over again: no one could stop laughing.

Bella was the first to compose herself. She turned to Edward.

"So what made you decide now was the time to come out?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, shrugged, and then turned to answer her.

"I guess this morning. Alice was acting oh so superior, and for some reason believing that she deserved an apology from when you set her straight. Anyway, as you saw, I wasn't in the best of moods. I guess I realized how unhappy I was with Alice. I don't like her, I never enjoyed her company, and she was treating my newest friend like trash. Talk about a ball and chain."

B grinned. "Well I'm happy for you." She paused, and then: "I still say you're just one of those guys who wear his heart on his sleeve."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Still not going for it; sorry B."

She shrugged. "No matter. You're out of the closet. Won't be long before you're admitting to this too."

And once again, our family was claimed by laughter.

**More of a filler chapter, this one.**

**I'd like to thank Damon Salvator-the mystery man for her spectacular and heartfelt review. It meant a lot.**

**I've also gotten some pretty awesome title ideas. I'm going to leave that going for awhile, as I don't plan to officially publish anything on my new story until both Sweet B and REDO are complete.**

**So, Edward's gay, Bella broke Alice's nose, and the parents are bloody laughing at it all! Drop me a line and you might be given the opportunity to stretch your artistic wings and help me think up a title.**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Edward's POV**

I thought back to my conversation with Bella.

_I'd pulled her to the side. We both had study hall this period, so it didn't matter where we went._

_ "Edward? What's up?" she asked._

_ I gave her a sardonic smile. "You know what." _

_ She grinned. "So you've finally admitted it to yourself? Tell me, how long have you known?"_

_ I sighed, sinking onto the bench seat beside her. "I'm not entirely sure. Shortly after Alice and I started dating I guess."_

_ "And how long ago was that?"_

_ I grimaced. "About two years."_

_ She blew out a breath. "Wow. I don't know whether to congratulate you for fooling everybody for so long, or to smack you stupid for lying to yourself for all this time."_

_ "Speaking of which, how did you figure it out?" This was the one question I had no answer for._

_ Bella rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Give me some credit. I've spent almost my entire life living with my gay brother. And about half of that time, he spent dating James. On top of that, I'm bi. I've dated girls. The only reason I can think that you were able to fool everybody else for so long, is that one, you yourself refused to acknowledge it, and two, no one in your family had ever _met_ an LGBTQ person before."_

_ "LGBTQ?"_

_ She rolled her eyes again. "Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer. For a gay dude, you sure are clueless when it comes to your own community."_

_ "Hey, I've been repressing for two years, cut me some slack."_

_ Bella snickered. "Yeah. Right. See you later Edward."_

_ I chuckled. "Bye. Oh, Bella?"_

_ She turned back. "More confessions?" Her lips twitched._

_ I grinned. "Thanks."_

_ She beamed. "Anytime."_

_ Bella headed to another row of picnic tables and I hurried off to meet Jasper before the lunch bell rang._

Only now that I thought about it, when we had been talking, sometimes when she would shift her weight, or move her arms, she would wince ever so slightly. And I had just been so confused, and so relieved to have someone to talk to, that I hadn't noticed these little cues until now.

Some friend I was.

Then again, Bella's prediction from the day before was, so far, correct. We _were_ getting along fine; more than fine, really.

There was a knock on my door, and Bella poked her head in.

"Hey, can I come inside?" she asked.

I grinned. "Sure."

She eased herself into the room, and instead of standing around awkwardly, or coming to sit next to me like I expected her to, she began perusing my seemingly endless CD collection.

"Quite the collection," Bella commented.

"Any favorites?"

Bella looked closer. "How do you have these organized?"

"Alphabetically by album."

She selected a few and brought them over to my couch. She had Daughtry, Breaking Benjamin, Nickelback, Theory of a Deadman, and Skillet.

"Jasper's collection is better," she remarked.

I stared at her incredulously. "Half of his collection is nothing but country."

Bella smirked. "Exactly."

"I never would have pegged you for a country fan," I answered.

Bella shrugged. "Well I am. Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, and Colt Ford; especially Colt Ford." Her eyes were alight with excitement.

I blinked. "Colt Ford? _Really?_"

I had never been a country fan. To be fair, I did find _some_ Rascal Flatts tolerable, but Colt Ford…I shuddered.

Bella caught this, her mouth quirking in amusement.

"Not a country lover, I take it?"

I vehemently shook my head.

She snickered. "Well, that's why I'm with Jasper."

"And here I was thinkin' it was because of my devilish good looks and southern charm."

We turned to find Jasper leaning against the doorjamb, smirking at his girlfriend.

Bella grinned. "Yeah, that might be part of it."

Jasper sauntered over and swung her up in his arms, carrying her out of the room.

"We'll continue this later Bella," I called. "We need to have a _serious_ talk about your music preferences!"

Her retreating laughter floated into the room.

. . .

**BPOV**

I was still laughing at Edward's last comment by the time we reached the third floor.

Jasper carried me into his room, sprawling us on his bed. He rubbed my arms and kissed my face, following the line of my scar until he reached my lips.

I sighed, and he took the opportunity to thrust his tongue into my mouth. He was warm, wet, and addicting; his kisses drugging me.

All too soon for my taste, we had to break away to breath.

_Damn oxygen._

Jasper laughed at my grimace, but when I gave him the Bambi yes, he crumbled. I smirked against his lips in victory. He pulled back to stare at me.

"You played me." It wasn't a question.

I brushed my fingers over his lips, and he smiled, kissing my hand.

"I wouldn't say played," I hedged, "but yeah, I did."

I started to pull back, but he trapped my hand in his, and rolling over, pulled me with him.

I curled into his chest, and he played with my hair. I closed my eyes, the feel of his fingers combing through my hair incredibly soothing. I was boneless in my relaxation. I could've taken a nap right there. I hummed my contentment and nuzzled my face into his chest.

"How did you know?" The vibrations in his chest from him speaking tickled my ear.

"How did you _not_ know?" I countered.

I could hear the smirk in his voice when he answered, "Touché."

"Maybe it's because I'm a fresh pair of eyes. I didn't know Edward, so I saw what you all had missed. And, of course, I grew up with a gay brother."

Jasper was silent for a moment, and then he responded, "I'm not surprised. I don't think any of us are, really. Except Alice. We were always asking ourselves, as well as him, how he could possibly stand her. She has a way of getting under everybody's skin, especially Edward. And they never held any common interests. Alice wanted Edward to use his piano playing to 'get somewhere.' They'd always fight because, to him, it was just a hobby, something he enjoyed."

He smiled, "Like you and your reading." He kissed my hair.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes, reading is a hobby, and yes, I love it. But it's not something I can make a living off of."

He shrugged. "You'd be surprised."

_Apparently._

We hung out in his room the rest of the night. He put on one of my favorite Colt Ford songs, _"She Ain't Too Good For That,"_ and pulled me up to dance with him. I laughed, but complied. We just spun around, laughing at the situation, enjoying out time together.

Eventually Rose and Emmett came to get us for dinner. Carlisle and Esme had already eaten, so it was just the four of us and Edward.

When I asked about Alice, Rose smirked.

"Rose," I started, "what did you do?"

It was Emmett who answered. "About an hour ago, Alice started up her bitching again; Rose simply made a few observations about how Alice resembled a prepubescent boy, and that she shouldn't be so judgmental," he guffawed. "Alice hasn't left her room since."

We all cracked up. That was Rose for you, loyal to the bone, and the kind of person you'd want to have your back.

"I so wish I could've seen her face," I crowed. "Rose, you are an evil genius."

She grinned and winked at me.

"How 'bout we head over to our place," Emmett suggested. "That way we don't have to worry about Alice going off on us again."

We agreed. Emmett, Rose, and Edward took Emmett's Jeep, ands Jasper and I took his truck.

I was in love with his Chevy. If I didn't love Jasper so much, I'd probably steal it from him.

It didn't take long before we were back at Charlie's. Even though I knew better, I still couldn't think of the Swan's house as my home. Last name change didn't help either.

Ugh. I hadn't _wanted_ to change my name, but my ditzy social worker had had other ideas. A fresh start and all that; what a load.

We crowded into the house. Rose snatched up the remote and sprawled on the couch, claiming it for her and Emmett. Jasper tugged me over to the recliner, and we curled up there. Edward and Emmett raided the fridge.

After going through all the channels (twice), Rose ended up on a re-run of _"1000 Ways To Die."_ It was funny; watching all the ways a person's stupidity could get them killed. I know, I know, we're horrible people, but we laughed anyway.

We wasted the next hour or two that way. But then the ringing doorbell interrupted us. I was already up, so I went to answer it.

I should have ignored it.

I opened the door to reveal one of the two people I had hoped to never see again.

"Hey Baby," she mumbled.

And then she kissed me.

**You can thank SAVAGEGRACEx for Rose's comments for Alice.**

**Sorry for the delay, but it's been hectic. School, finally deciding to celebrate my birthday, and getting in hours behind the wheel; I barely have time to think!**

**Also, I'm still open to any and all submissions for a title to my soon-to-be-here story.**

**Anyway….so who do you think the mystery kisser is? Who could be the other person that Bella wants **_**out**_** of her life?**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	14. Chapter 14

**JPOV**

_What the hell?_

I was watching some random girl make out with my girlfriend. To Bella's credit, once she got over the initial shock of having someone spontaneously shove their tongue down your throat, she pushed the girl away.

"What the hell?" she barked.

_That's what I'm thinkin'!_

"Aw, c'mon Baby," the girl slurred. "Don't be like that." She tried to grab Bella again, but was instead met with Riley magically appearing between the two. From the way he was acting, it was clear that, not only did he know Miss Random, he didn't like her.

_Huh. That's a first._

"Hey Ry," she cooed, "did 'ya miss me?" She reached out to pet him, but his fierce growl stopped her short. Obviously, he didn't appreciate her baby-talking to him.

"Ooh, feisty!" She turned her gaze on Bella and grinned like the cat that got the canary. "Much like I remember his owner being," she breathed.

Bella was fuming, but she hid it well. Somehow, in just a matter of days, I'd learned her tells. Like the fire that ignited her gaze when she was angry.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

The supposedly drunken mystery girl smiled lazily. "I'm here for you, of course."

Bella confirmed my suspicions on this girl's mental coherency with her next question.

"Uh huh, yeah," she snorted. "Is that you, or the booze talking?"

The girl pouted and batted her eyelashes at _my_ girl, but Bella crossed her arms and stared at her.

"Who the hell _are _you?"

_Thank you, Rose._

Bella huffed in frustration. "Remember what I said about having only ever being in a relationship with another girl?" She spoke only to me.

I nodded.

She jerked her chin toward the drunk. "That's her. Grace."

The girl, _Grace_, grinned when Bella said her name. "I'll tell ya, Baby, you were _not_ easy to find."

"First off, I'm not your _Baby_. You burned that bridge a long time ago. Second, get out." You could've cut steel on Bella's voice.

Grace pouted again. I think she was tryin' to give B Bambi eyes. Whatever the hell it was, it failed miserably. Bella wasn't budging.

I smirked. _That's my girl._

Emmett spoke up then. "What do you mean she was hard to find?"

Bella glared at her brother. "Do _not_ encourage her. She'll never leave."

Grace's face had momentarily brightened at Emmett's question, but dropped into an even deeper pout at Bella's comment. But after a moment, she brushed past Bella and sashayed up to Emmett. She stuck out her hand and beamed up at him.

"Hi, I'm Grace. And you are…?"

"None of your business," Bella snapped. "Leave, Grace. Now."

Grace rolled her eyes, and continued talking to Emmett. "You know how possessive girlfriends can get. They never want to share you."

Bella scoffed.

I finally caught her eye and beckoned her over to me. When she was close enough, I pulled her into my lap and she curled into my chest. I kissed along her scar (that had completely escaped Grace's notice) and rubbed her back.

Grace turned and narrowed her eyes at the sight of my girl curled up in my arms. She hid behind her smile again, only this time, she approached _me_.

"And you are?" she purred, or tried to. It sounded like she was coughing up a hairball.

I caught Bella's smirk outta the corner of my eye, bringing out one of my own.

"Her boyfriend," I answered, indicating Bella.

Li'l Miss Thang froze for a second, but then she abandoned her façade. The bitch was out to play.

_Like hell you're takin' my li'l darlin' away from me._

"Excuse me?" She didn't sound quite so drunk anymore. Maybe the shock was sobering her up.

"Ya heard me."

Grace's mouth fell open and she stared at Bella, whose only response was to snuggle further into my embrace.

"I thought you loved me," she whimpered. Her voice was so small, I almost felt bad for the poor girl. Then I remembered what she was doin' here.

Bella somehow managed to sound both harsh and gentle when she answered, "I did. Past tense. As in, not anymore."

"So you love _him_ now?" Grace spat out the word "him."

I stiffened, but Bella pressed a kiss to my chest and rubbed my arms.

"Yes," was her simple reply.

I relaxed even as my heart rate picked up.

_She loved me._

Grace glared at Bella. "Fine. Marc was right about you. I can't believe I even _thought_ of wasting my fucking time on _you_. Enjoy the new tool!" And with that, she stormed out of the house.

I was livid. The only thing that kept me from goin' after the bitch was Bella. In the middle of Grace's ranting, I noticed her stiffen at the mention of "Marc."

I tilted my head, trying to see her face. Her eyes were dark and unfocused, her breathing was shallow, and she was tensed like a piano wire.

"Darlin'?" I smoothed her hair back. She twitched before curling into my chest again. Her eyes closed and she started trembling.

I gently pushed her back, just enough so I could see her face. No tears, her expression was calm, and her breathing had evened out, but her eyes were still haunted.

Rose walked over and knelt in front of Bella. Edward and Emmett stood a few feet behind her, trying to not overwhelm Bella probably.

Before Rose could even open her mouth, Bella started talking.

"Grace and I were together for two years. She was my first and only girlfriend. Right from the beginning we clicked. She got along great with Tray and Jamie; they adored her. Riley did too."

She paused and we waited. When she spoke again, her voice was slightly quieter.

"That all changed last year. Grace had always sworn to me that she was a lesbian. She seemed desperate to make me believe her, and though I found her behavior odd, I never thought anything of it. It never mattered to me; she could've been a transvestite for all I cared. I just didn't want her to lie to me.

"I came home late from work one day. I knew Grace was there; her car had been in the driveway. That wasn't unusual. She didn't like staying at her house by herself. I didn't really see the sense in it, because she was alone at our place too. When I asked, she spun some tale about feeling better knowing I'd be home soon.

"She wasn't in the living room (or my room, depending on how you look at it), but I heard voices. I assumed she was watching a movie in Tray and Jamie's room. Ironically, the boys weren't due back until later that night. More often than not, I'd come home to find Grace curled up in there watching a movie on her laptop. So I went in to join her."

Bella paused again, sat up a little straighter, took a deep breath, and plowed on.

"You've probably wondered how Travis and James, both big wigs in the military, were not able to afford, what with compensation and everything, a two bedroom house. Well…my dad was the reason behind that."

_Her dad?_

No one, not Emmett, not Charlie, and not Bella, had said anythin' 'bout Bella's parents. Only her brothers.

"He wasn't exactly someone you'd deem 'Father of the Year.' It was why I didn't live with him. When I was six, he murdered my mother. He probably would've killed Travis and me too, but Tray was fourteen and used to our dad's insanity. He got me out of there.

"He took me to our uncle Garrett's. Garrett had been my mom's older brother, and had never liked our father. More often than not, our days were spent with him and his wife Kate. Gary was devastated when he heard about Mom. But since he couldn't save her, he would be damned if he didn't save us. His words, not mine. Gary went to the police. Not surprisingly, my dad beat him to it. He killed my uncle, and then he played it to the authorities to make it appear as though Garrett had killed his sister, and then committed suicide. We never saw Kate again. I think she blamed us for her husband's murder."

"You're doin' it again," I interrupted.

Bella looked at me. "Doing what?"

"Detaching yourself. Every time you start talkin' 'bout your life before we met you, you, eventually, start talkin' like you're rattling off someone else's story."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "When everyone around you starts dying, you'll do anythin to hold onto your sanity."

I knew only all too well what she meant. I kissed her temple, encouraging her to continue.

"Anyway, my father had been abusive. More so with me, after I was born. And he used that to keep us quiet. Both Garrett and Renee, our mother, had left Tray and I a substantial amount of money. Dad knew how much Tray loved me, how protective he was of me. He used Travis's fear for me to get that money. Oh, he left enough for us to live on, barely, so no one would get too nosy. And then he disappeared. Travis joined the military and started raking in the benefits, out came dear old Dad for another withdrawal. The pattern continued, and all because Travis didn't want to risk that my dad was serious in his threats."

"Quick question," Edward piped in. "What does this have to do with Grace? Or that Marc guy she mentioned?"

"I'm getting to that. So anyway, as I was saying before, I had gone into Tray and Jamie's room, because I thought Grace was in there watching a movie."

We all nodded.

"Well," Bella grimaced, "she was in there, but she wasn't watching a movie, and she wasn't alone."

Suddenly, it dawned on me. Bella's and Grace's words from earlier:

"_I'm not your _Baby._ You burned that bridge a long time ago." _

"_Marc was right about you. Enjoy the new tool!"_

Grace had cheated on Bella.

"Yeah."

I hadn't realized I'd voiced my thoughts aloud until Bella answered me.

"They were curled up together, naked, in my brothers' bed. It was obvious by how at ease they were that this wasn't their first time together. They were pretty shocked to find me standing there. Grace tried to explain, but I had Riley, uh…_escort_ them out. He's hated Grace ever since."

Bella slouched back into my chest. Her eyes had lightened back to their beautiful chocolate color, and they weren't clouded with horrific memories. But just as I thought of the one memory she had _not_ shared, Rose spoke up.

"Bella? Who's Marc?"

A weary sigh left my sweet girl. Bella scrubbed a hand across her face, but she did answer.

It just wasn't the answer any of us had been expecting.

"Marc is my father's name. My girlfriend cheated on me with my dad."

**Bet'cha didn't see that one coming now did 'ya?**

**So what did you guys think? B has one helluva story, wouldn't you agree?**

**Drop me a line, tell me your thoughts. Reviews make me write faster.**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	15. Chapter 15

**RPOV**

_Her father._

Bella had finished telling us her story hours ago. She had fallen asleep in Jasper's lap, and that's where she was nestled now. I could tell Jasper was exhausted; he and Bella had matching bags under their eyes. Emmett had left to take Edward home, and also to give me a chance to talk alone with my brother.

"Jazz, you need sleep; you and Bella both."

I had already told him this about a dozen times, but he would just shake his head. I think after hearing Bella's shocking story, he wouldn't be able to sleep until he'd had a chance to process everything. And while he could've easily carried Bella up to her room, I didn't think he wanted to let her out of his sight. Seeing as that, even asleep, Bella had his shirt in a death grip; I'd wager she felt the same.

_And I thought I was tough._

Hearing Bella's past, I sure as hell didn't think so now. I already knew the girl was strong, but damn; "strong" didn't even begin to cover it.

"What do I do, Rose?"

I jumped. It was the first time Jasper had spoken in hours. "What do you mean?"

He swallowed. "I'm scared for her, Rosie. I don't know what to do, how to help her." As Jasper shared this with me, he looked (and sounded) like he'd aged 10 years.

I slid into the recliner next to him and Bella. It was a tight fit, and I was mostly sitting on Jasper, but like hell I gave a damn. I wrapped my right arm around his shoulders and hugged him.

"Jazz, I know you love her, but Bella's strong. She's had time to deal with all of this. And while it's obvious there are still some things for her to work through, it's not up to you to fix her."

He opened his mouth to protest, but I beat him to it.

"Just listen," I insisted. "It's not your job to put her back together, _but_ she will need you to get through it. Just be there for her. Be there to listen to her, to talk to her, or to give her a hug. Remember how Emmett was always there for me? How _you_ were always there? _That's _what she needs. Someone who loves her, and cares about her. She just needs you, Jasper."

His smile, while strained, was genuine. I breathed a little easier after seeing it.

Bella must've been _really_ in tune with Jasper, because as he relaxed, she released her iron hold on his shirt; instead she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Jasper kissed my hair. "Thanks Rosie." He shifted Bella's weight and carried her up the stairs.

_Another job well done._

Emmett walked in at that moment. Poor boy looked as though someone had boiled his puppy.

_Round Two. Ding!_

He collapsed on the couch; I quickly joined him, curling into his chest, and waited.

I didn't have to wait long.

"Her father. Her fucking father! How in the hell does _that_ happen? There goes my faith in humanity!" he ranted.

"Em," I interrupted, "you lost your faith in humanity when you met me."

He shook his head, not really listening. I sighed. I knew from experience that it was almost impossible to get through to Emmett when he got himself worked up like this. The only thing to do was wait until he'd gotten it out of his system.

We sat there for another hour; Emmett's intermittent ranting breaking the silence. Around midnight, Charlie called to say he'd had a little too much to drink, and was going to crash at Billy's. Carlisle and Esme called to check in. Edward had apparently filled them in on this night's events, and they were worried about how we were all handling it. I assured them I'd talked to both of the boys, and Jasper was with Bella. We hung up shortly after that.

Eventually, Emmett calmed down enough for me to tell him what I'd told Jasper. He caved, and we went to bed.

_Another crisis averted._

. . .

**BPOV**

Jasper hadn't left.

I woke up when I heard Rose and Emmett make their way to Em's room. I had fallen asleep in Jasper's lap, and he must've carried up to my room.

And he was still here.

He lay asleep behind me, an arm thrown possessively over my hip. I breathed a sigh of relief. I'd been afraid he would leave at the first chance given to him. So, when I started to doze off, instead of going upstairs, I curled up in Jasper's lap.

I rolled over, trying not to wake him, but wanting to see his face. It was calm, peaceful. He hadn't looked that way when I'd fallen asleep…and then it clicked.

_Thank you, Rose._

I gently ran my fingers through his silky curls. He hummed and turned his face into my palm. His arm tightened, and he pulled me flush to his body.

I felt something wet on my shoulder; it took me a second to realize Jasper was kissing me.

"I love you," he murmured. His voice was gravelly and thick with sleep.

"I'm sorry I woke you," I whispered, combing my fingers through his hair again.

He ducked his head so he could reach my collarbone. I rolled us over until his head rested on my chest. He hummed again as I played with his hair.

"Are you trying to lull me back to sleep?"

I kissed his forehead. "Maybe. You definitely need it." The poor boy spent all his energy worrying about me. He needed a break!

I felt him shake his head. "I need you."

I smiled. "I need you, too. But _you_ need to rest. Please go back to sleep."

He sat up on his elbow. I gave him my best Bambi eyes, knowing he'd cave.

I wasn't wrong.

He groaned, "Woman, you are gonna _kill_ me with that look of yours." He kissed me and lay back down, pulling me onto his chest.

I felt his body relax beneath mine. He lazily combed his fingers through my hair, trying, it would seem, to soothe _me_ to sleep.

It was working, but the last thing I wanted was for him to sit up all night (or all morning).

I ran my hand along his chest, his arms, and his shoulders. It must've worked, because I heard Jasper's breathing even out.

I felt the bed dip on my other side. I turned to see Riley curled up with his head on my leg.

No wonder I couldn't fall asleep, I needed _both_ of my boys with me.

**Sorry it's so short, but at this point, I couldn't really think of anything else to add. At this point, I'm not entirely too sure how to continue with Sweet B. I'm not gonna drop it or put it on hiatus, but I would like your opinions on how you think I should continue. I already have an ending in mind, but it wouldn't due to just throw it in now. So if you have any ideas, please let me know.**

**And speaking of ideas, I have not gotten nearly as many title ideas as I would have hoped. At this point, I have so few that it seems like a waste to set up a poll. However, I want you, my readers, to ultimately decide what the title of the story will be. So, if you have an idea, even if you think it sucks, send it on. It may win!**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	16. Chapter 16

**JPOV**

_So warm._

"Jasper," an angelic voice murmured.

I groaned, nuzzling the soft, warm body beneath mine. I _so_ did _not_ want to get up. Bella tangled her fingers in my hair, her nails scratchin' across my scalp. I hummed and tightened my hold on her. She chuckled and kissed my forehead.

"You have to wake up eventually, Baby," she chuckled.

I kissed her collarbones. "Don't wanna," I mumbled.

Her cool fingers brushed my hair away from my forehead, and she peppered kisses on my face, finally endin' at my lips.

I groaned in defeat. "Ok, I'm up." I rolled over and sat up, shakin' my head in an attempt to clear it.

I felt the bed shift as Bella sat up behind me. Her soft hands traveled up my back to rub soothing circles into my shoulder blades. I moaned, enjoying her ministrations.

When she finished my shoulder rub, she pulled me between her legs, my back to her chest.

"Feel better?" she asked sweetly.

I chuckled. "I'm all blessed out. Thanks, Darlin'."

"My pleasure," she smirked.

I felt the bed shift again, and Riley's head came into view. _Huh._ I hadn't noticed him before. To my utter surprise, he rested his head on my lap. I scratched behind his ears.

"Told you he liked you," Bella muttered.

I snickered as I rolled off of the bed. She had me there; Bella had told me that many times.

I threw my shirt in B's hamper. I must've been exhausted last night, because I normally take my shirt off when I go to bed; it's too hot to wear one. And on top of that, I had Bella, the Human Heat-Lamp, as my pillow. It's a wonder I didn't wake up drenched in sweat.

I glanced over my shoulder and smirked. "Enjoyin' the view, Darlin'?" I drawled.

She grinned. "You know it."

I chuckled at her remark as I commandeered her bathroom. I heard her shuffling around outside the door. I didn't know what she was doin', but I assumed she was gettin' dressed or somethin'.

And then the door opened.

My Angel leaned against the doorjamb wearin' a barely-there, blue terrycloth robe. She had her arms crossed, and a sinful smirk curled her lips.

I think my jaw hit the floor.

She sauntered up to me, resting her hands on my chest, and mine immediately sought her waist.

"Shower with me?" she murmured, kissing my ear.

I nodded dumbly, my jaw still on the floor.

Bella smiled and floated past me to start the shower.

While we waited for the water to warm, she undid my pants, leaving me in my boxers. My brain finally woke up, and I pulled her in for a kiss. I undid the sash on her rode, slipping it from her shoulders. She kneeled down, and freed me from my boxers.

I went to pick her up, but before my fingers could even brush her skin, she slipped into the shower.

_Minx._

I heard her laugh and ducked in after her. She had already grabbed the soap, and started washing.

_Not gonna happen, Swan._

"Give me that," I muttered, taking the soap from her. I pulled her into my arms and ran the soap over her body. Because of how close we were, some of the suds transferred from her body onto mine. Bella took the opportunity to wash me; her warm hands providing another back rub.

I kissed her, my hard length pressed against her stomach. She moaned into my mouth and shuffled impossibly closer.

And that's when it all went to hell.

"Move your asses, love doves! And no sex in the shower!" Rose screeched while bangin' on the door.

Now I loved my sister, but I could've strangled her right then and there.

Bella chuckled, "C'mon Cowboy, before Rose has Emmett kick the door down."

I rolled my eyes at her so-called humor. I didn't see what Rose was gettin' all bent outta shape 'bout; it was Saturday. Where the hell did we have to be on a Saturday morning?

Bella pressed one more kiss to my lips before she slipped outta the shower. I shook my head; that girl was gonna be the death of me.

I turned off the water and followed her. She had already rewrapped herself in her robe, and stood waiting with a towel for me.

I smiled and gave her a kiss as I took the towel from her and wrapped it around my waist.

"Any idea what Rose is goin' on 'bout?" I asked her as we began to get dressed.

"Nope," she answered, popping the 'P'.

Bella scoured her meager belongings for some clean clothes. Rose had thought ahead, and had given Bella a few of her things until B could get to a store. Come to think of it, maybe _that_ was where we were headed.

_Oh hell._

I tugged on a pair of jeans, and had just finished doing up my belt when Bella turned back to me.

As always, the girl was barefoot. But this time, she wore jean shorts that, based on the frayed edges, had originally been a pair of jeans. Over her tank top, she wore this…half-shirt. That was the only way to describe it. It was black, loose-fitting, and it had a silver butterfly that encompassed the shirt entirely; the shirt itself came about halfway down her abdomen.

I whistled lowly, and crooked my finger at her in a "come hither" gesture. She smirked but obeyed, draping herself sideways across my lap.

"So Darlin'," I drawled, "why the change in attire?"

She giggled as I ran my hand along her bare leg. I pressed kisses to her throat and collarbone. I couldn't get enough of her.

My Angel hummed. "You like it that much?" she groaned.

I chuckled against her neck. "Baby, you've been getting' me all hot and bothered under the collar from the moment I first laid eyes on you."

Bella let out a breathless chuckled of her own as she feverishly pressed kisses to my bare chest. It was my turn to groan.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Damn, woman, you are gonna be the _death_ of me," I muttered.

B pulled back with a wicked grin on her beautiful face. But before I could do anything 'bout it, the door opened.

Rose tsked, "Didn't I tell you to move it? C'mon love doves, we're burning daylight!"

I groaned, "For the love of _God_ Rose, what the hell could be so damn important?"

My sister smirked at me. "You'll see big brother, you'll see."

I rolled my eyes at her cryptic answer.

Rose clapped her hands together as she ordered, "So chop, chop. You got six minutes to get your asses downstairs." She turned to leave, but then popped her head back into the room.

"Oh, and Jazz? You might wanna wear a shirt."

I threw my discarded towel at her, but she ducked out with a loud squeak, and it hit the door.

Bella giggled again. "Come on, Baby, let's find you a shirt." She pressed a chaste kiss to my lips before she climbed off of my lap.

She threw a bundle of grey fabric into my face; I looked down to see it was the same shirt I had worn the day I met her, the day I first kissed her.

I smirked at her before tugging it on. She walked by me to get to the door, but she had barely taken a step before I pulled her back to me.

"Feelin' sentimental, are we?" I drawled.

Bella peeked up at me through her impossibly long lashes.

"I think a sentimental man is sexy," she purred, curling into my arms.

I hummed, pressing my face into her silky hair.

"We have exactly three minutes to get downstairs," Bella informed me.

I groaned, "Don't wanna." My arms automatically tightened around her warm waist.

"Then you might wanna lock the door."

_Now why didn't I think of that?_

I shot off the bed and quickly secured the door. I turned back, only to be yanked onto the bed by my girl.

Our position was much the same as the one we'd woken up in. Bella was laying on her back with me half on top of her. My head rested on her chest, and she ran her fingers through my hair. Her touch was unbelievably soothing. It wasn't long before I found myself feeling drowsy.

I hummed somehow managing to pull my girl even closer to me. Quite an accomplishment, considering hoe tangled up we'd already been.

I heard a faint clicking, but I was too comfortable where I was to care. So I dismissed it.

When will I learn?

The door popped open to reveal a very satisfied and slightly miffed Rosalie. She held her bobby pin up in victory.

"You had your chance."

And before I knew what was happening, Emmett had hauled me off the bed, and was dragging my ass down the stairs.

**Apologies for the delay.**

**I recently posted the poll regarding the title for my next story. It's on my profile. If you would like to read the summary before voting, PM me and it will be sent to you.**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Alright, I know I deserve to have rotten tomatoes thrown at me, and I am sorry I left this just sitting for two years. Life chose to give me a swift kick in the ass two summers ago, and then my plot ninjas up and abandoned me. Well I dragged them back, and I will finish this story if it takes me til the end of time.**

**BPOV**

I sat in the back of the Jeep with Jasper next to me. Emmett and Rose were, of course, up front.

Jasper was preoccupied with burning holes into the back of their skulls.

"Did you _really_ have to _toss_ me in here like a sack of _fuckin'_ grain?" he ground out.

I snuggled up to him and kissed his jaw. He wrapped his arm around me, and he loosened the stiff set of his shoulders, but his eyes were still angry.

Rose shrugged. "I warned you Jazz. Twice. You knew what was coming when you ignored me."

Jasper rolled his eyes at his sister, too exasperated to comment, I imagine.

I chuckled, "C'mon Cowboy, it can't be that bad. This is _Rose_ we're talking about."

"Exactly," he muttered.

Rose smiled sweetly. "Brother, you know you love me."

Jasper rolled his eyes again, but he was smiling.

"So," I said, breaking the silence, "where to, Mac?"

Emmett glanced at me in the rear view mirror, giving me a _What the fuck?_ look.

"Yo B, I ain't a cab driver."

"Coulda fooled me," I quipped. J and Rose snickered.

"We're going to Port Angeles Bella," Rose answered. "I'm no Alice, but you _do_ need clothes. Besides, this way, you have tonight and tomorrow to yourself." She winked.

Em made a gagging sound. "Aw, c'mon Rosie! That's my baby sis back there!"

"And Rose is _my_ sister, Emmett," Jasper chuckled.

Emmett huffed, but didn't comment.

"Port Angeles?" I mumbled. "Never heard of it."

This time, Emmett _did_ comment: "Yeah, just like Forks was a mystery to you too."

I rolled my eyes. "Who the fuck names a town after a utensil?"

Evidently, my grumblings were heard by my companions, because they howled with laughter. I chuckled at their antics.

_Maybe I could make a home here after all._

**JPOV**

Rose, Em, and I were still laughin' at Bella's comment about our town's name. We couldn't help it. Even with all the pain she had brought with her from Nevada, my girl gave us (well, me) love and laughter. She was amazin'.

_And she was mine._

I couldn't stop the grin that thought brought out. Bella caught my smile, and gave me a breath-takin' one of her own. It took me a few seconds before I remembered to breath. She snickered.

I shushed her by pullin' her closer to me an' kissin' her smirk; she tasted like cherries.

Before long, Emmett was pullin' over an' parkin' on the side of the street. I always thought of Port Angeles as Downtown Washington. It had plenty of shops and eateries, but wasn't as loud an' annoyin' as Seattle.

I opened the door, only to turn and offer my girl a hand in gettin' out.

"Such a gentleman," she murmured, peckin' my cheek.

"Guess my momma raised me right." I gave her a wink.

Em and Rose led the way to a tiny shop. It was one I hadn't ever been in before, but as soon as we were inside, I could tell the place screamed 'Bella'.

Rose led her off to pick up some extra clothes, leavin' Emmett and me to our own devices. I caught sight of some decent lookin' boots an' moseyed on over. I was always on the hunt for good cowboy boots, but had yet to find any.

_Can't beat Texas quality leather, I guess. _

After a few minutes of perusin' the prospects, Emmett wandered over. I had a feelin' I knew what was comin'.

_Damn. Too bad Ry ain't here._

Em took a deep breath. "Jasper, I know I don't have to warn you to treat Bella right, but she's my sister now. I have to say _something_."

_Oh. Maybe I didn't have to worry._

He huffed. "Look, I can tell you care about her, and that she feels the same way. But you _just_ met her man! I don't want to have to kick your ass if you break her heart."

I chuckled at that. After a moment, so did he.

"We alright?" I asked him.

He grinned. "Hell yeah. C'mon, let's go find our girls."

I sauntered after him, grinnin' like a bastard.

**Oh, I realize I ignore the rules of "real life" (B going around barefoot, Travis being a 3 star general at 26, etc). Yeah….I don't care. My story is (duh!) fictitious. Real life has no place here.**

**Until next time, my darlings. **


	18. Chapter 18

**BPOV**

I woke with a groan. I yawned and, stretching my arms above my head, felt my hand knock into something.

"Ow! That's my chin."

I twisted around to find Jasper rubbing his jaw. He flexed it and grinned down at me.

"You pack quite the punch there, li'l lady," he drawled.

I chuckled without humor. "Yeah…Tray and Jamie never let me forget."

Jasper shifted me around til I was sitting in his lap, with my knees on either side of his hips. He gently bumped my nose with his in a soft Eskimo kiss.

"Hey, I'm okay Darlin'." He smiled.

I gently kissed his jaw. "Okay," I murmured.

J pulled me into a hug. "That's my girl."

I giggled, "What time is it?"

"'Bout one o'clock in the mornin'," he mumbled into my neck. "You were half asleep by the time we got back, so I jus' carried ya up here."

I chuckled, combing my fingers through his curls. Jasper hummed in contentment and hugged me closer to him.

"You're so beautiful, Darlin'," Jasper murmured, pressing kisses along my collar bones.

I moaned softly and I felt him smile against my skin.

"You like that, my li'l darlin'?"

"Yes," I breathed. I leaned down to capture his lips with mine. I kissed him feverishly, gently nipping his bottom lip. Jasper had removed his shirt while I was sleeping, and I relished the feeling of his bare skin and muscles under my fingertips.

Jasper groaned, "Baby, you don't know what you do to me." He shivered under my feather light touch.

Each time my fingers traced one of Jasper's scars, I paused and pressed kisses to it. He had stiffened at first, but slowly relaxed as I continued my ministrations.

He exhaled sharply. "Bella?"

I leaned back, so I could look him in the eye. "I have scars too Jasper. I'm not ashamed, and you certainly shouldn't be. You fought for your sister, and these scars are proof of how much you love her."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Yeah, Baby I know. I've just been given seven kinds of hell 'bout it."

"Well," I said slowly, "I saw them in the shower yesterday, and you saw mine. No big deal."

"Uh," he mumbled, "I was kinda…_distracted_."

I smirked down at my cowboy. "As was I. I must admit, I paid little attention to your scars, and more to you." I winked.

Jazz gave me a cocky grin. "Good to know, B. _Very_ good to know," he drawled.

I nipped the cocky fucker's neck, and I could feel his pulse skyrocket under my lips. He gasped, causing me to smirk.

"Not so smug now, are ya Cowboy?" I snickered.

He chuckled, "Now Darlin', don't think I don't know 'bout your reaction to my twang."

I twirled my tongue playfully. "I _love_ it," I breathed.

Jasper's gaze was locked onto my tongue. I watched as his pupils slowly dilated, before he crushed his lips to mine.

**JPOV**

_My girl's gonna be the death of me._

My fingers tanged in her beautiful mane, securin' her to me. God, I couldn't get enough of her. Her hot li'l tongue danced with mine, an' she wiggled closer, moldin' our bodies together.

"_Jasper!_" she gasped.

"Oh, Bella," I groaned, rollin' us over 'til I was hoverin' over her. She locked her ankles 'round my waist, tuggin' me down onto her. My hips jerked forward, grindin' into her. B automatically tightened her legs to keep me in place.

I broke our kiss with a groan, an' trailed my lips over her cheek an' down her throat. Her breathin' hitched.

"Jasper," she moaned.

"That's right Darlin' – say my name," I growled, kissin' down her body.

Bella tugged on my hair again. She groaned when my hips thrusted forward, pressin' my now-very-hard member against her.

I slipped my hands under her shirt, lightly grazin' her soft skin. Her breath hitched again, an' she froze. It took me a minute to realize why: I was getting' close to her scars. The more I thought about it…I couldn't recall really seein' anythin' in the shower.

"Baby?" I whispered.

She shut her eyes an' took a deep breath. I could feel her hands curlin' into fists against my back. My girl knew what I was askin' her: I was askin' for her trust, her permission, and her story.

Bella exhaled with a huff, her hands relaxed, an' she opened her beautiful eyes. In one fluid motion, she discarded her shirt, and flipped on a small lamp near the bed.

The bruises from that Newton fucker were fadin', but as I looked closer, I realized there _were_ scars on her arms. They were very faint, almost invisible, but definitely there.

Bella followed my gaze. "Broken glass," she murmured. She lifted her hands, and I saw the same scratches, very much like the ones marrin' my own hands.

I gently ran my hand down her left side, only to stop at her breast. On the underside, right on the ribs, I found a cluster of scars; perfectly circular.

"Cigarette burns."

Rage pounded through me, quick and fierce. Someone had _burned_ Bella. Someone had used _my_ Bella, _my angel_, as a fuckin' ash tray.

**Well, now you know about B's mysterious scars. Any ideas on the story behind them? **

**Leave me some love.**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	19. Chapter 19

**JPOV**

_How?_

Just fuckin' _how_ someone, anyone, could…_burn_ Bella…it was unfathomable. My girl was fierce, ain't no doubtin' that, but she had a heart of gold. Seein' those burns marrin' her beautiful body was killin' me.

I felt a warm hand cup my cheek. I hadn't realized I'd been starin' at 'em this whole time. My gaze shifted to B's eyes. Her warm, beautiful eyes. Those eyes scanned my face an' she frowned. She gently pulled me down to her 'til me head rested on her chest, right above her heart. She gently combed her fingers through my hair.

"Don't cry, Jazz," Bella murmured. "Please."

It was then I finally felt the tears fallin'.

**BPOV**

I had to tell him.

"Jazz," I murmured, "remember when I told you about Mark? How Travis was convinced he'd hurt me?" I felt him nod.

"Well," I continued, "he did kill my mom and my uncle, he drove Tray and Jamie into near financial ruin, and he fucked my former girlfriend. He drank, he swore, he gambled, and he threw glass bottles at me when I pissed him off. But he never smoked a day in his life."

I paused to let what I said sink in. I was absently petting his head and rubbing his back, and I could feel his tears on my skin. His thumb gently grazed my burns, and I knew he understood.

"Yeah…Mark didn't do that. He never burned me. He beat me, he bruised me, and he made me bleed; he never burnt me."

"Who?" Jasper's voice was a hoarse whisper.

I sighed. _Here we go…_

**EPOV**

"Alice, the car is here." I heard Esme call out.

I sighed with relief. Dad had recently explained to me that they had never actually _adopted_ Alice, they just fostered her. Apparently, Alice had always been a whiny little brat, so she had never stayed in one place for too long. Her social worker was surprised Mom and Dad didn't kick Alice out sooner.

I could hear Alice arguing with whomever came to collect her (I'm assuming her social worker). Something about the number of bags she had and how there was no way in hell she'd be able to keep even a third of it. I turned up my music to drown them out. Bella had recently introduced to Volbeat, a German metal band she was very fond of. I had to admit, they were quite good.

They were also perfect for drowning out Alice and her squawking.

I smiled in spite of myself. No one was going to miss Alice, least of all me. In reality though, this was Alice's best option. She didn't know how to watch herself, especially around Bella. I had told her as much yesterday after Carlisle had informed her she would be leaving. I wouldn't have said anything to her, but she spent a good forty minutes bitching about Bella under her breath, and then had the nerve to come and appeal to me.

"Edward, you don't really want me to leave, do you?" Alice had been trying to sound sweet and innocent, but all I heard was whining and bitching.

I didn't even look at her. "Alice, there are no words that could _possibly_ describe just how badly I want you gone." I kept my tone fairly neutral, I did _not_ want to deal with her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her pouting. Again. _Oh for the _love_ of _all_ that is _holy_! Would she ever leave me alone?_

"I don't see why everyone loves _Bella_ so much. She's nothing special." Alice had spat out Bella's name, as though it offended her.

_Fuck it_.

I stood and strode over to her. I knew my eyes were murderous, because she shrank away from me. "Alice, don't you _dare_ insult Bella in front of me. Believe me, if I was straight, no scratch that, if I was even _bi_, I would try anything and everything to woo Bella. She is _good_, and I couldn't ask for a better friend."

I could tell she was about to protest, so I shoved her out of my room, and just before I slammed the door, I said: "I have _one_ nerve left. And you're dry humping it."

I shook my head as I remembered that. On the plus side, Alice had been so angry, she had left me alone for the rest of the night. Hell, she hadn't even spared me a glance this morning.

Even a slap from Rose wouldn't have been able to wipe my grin off.

**Well, there you have it. I actually ended this chapter completely differently from what I'd originally written out. But I like this better :)**

**So, who do you think burned B so bad? Is this the last they've heard from Alice? Drop me a line, and I might send out a teaser ;)**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


	20. Chapter 20

**GPOV**

After Bella kicked me out, I stumbled around aimlessly, trying to sober myself up. I knew I shouldn't have brought up Mark, I _knew_ that, but I couldn't help it. It was a recurring pattern with me: I'd try to fix things, and just end up digging myself a deeper hole.

I sighed. _And then Bella waltzed into my life._

I knew when I met her that I would have to improve in order to keep her. And I did. She made me _want _to be better. Unlike everyone else, Bella cared enough to help me.

I wanted her back, but…I wanted her to be happy.

I had seen B walking around Port Angeles on Saturday. She had her new beau with her, and a couple of the others that had been at her house. She looked beautiful. She looked…_happy_. Seeing her, seeing her like _that_, had been a kick in the stomach. My heart ached all over again when I thought about what I lost with her. I kicked myself every day for throwing it all away…and for hurting her in the process.

I sighed. Why had I listened to Mark? Better yet, why had I jumped into bed with him? He shouldn't have been at Bella's house that day (or any other day, for that matter), Tray never allowed him anywhere near her.

I had a habit of hanging around B's house after we got together. I hated being at my house. Technically, it was just me and my mom, but whenever she wasn't passed out drunk, she was entertaining some john.

I have no valid excuse as to why I hooked up with Mark. Oddly enough, it forced me to pull my head out of my ass. After the fall out with Bella I hit rock bottom. I locked myself in my house, and I nearly drank myself to death. But the more I drank, the more I kept thinking about Bella. I couldn't do it. I couldn't allow myself to drift away from my grief, while I was the cause of hers. I just couldn't.

I found out later that Mark just wanted to use me to get to Bella. I guess having Travis pay him off didn't cause their family enough pain for him. I wanted to kill him for that. He deserved to die for what he did to his kids, and I deserved to die for letting him use me.

The thing is…Bella doesn't know that. The night I showed up at her house, I had intended to tell her. I stopped at a bar to gather some liquid courage, but by the time I had enough, I was drunk. And the rest is history.

But that's not important. Bella needs to know about her asshole father. And if I have to make an ass of myself again just to tell her, then so be it.

**Not as long, or as good, as I had hoped, but I was desperate to get something out to you all. Sorry it took so long. I had exams to worry about, and then projects, and then work. Anyways, drop me a line, tell me what you think**

**Until next time, my darlings.**


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